


Just One Night

by orphan_account



Series: Love is the Drug [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Anal Fingering, Blackmail, Blood, Bottom Link, Dancing, Edging, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Gen, Great Gatsby AU, Happy Ending, Homophobic Language, Hylian Sidon, Inspired by The Great Gatsby, M/M, Main Character Death, Makeup Sex, Minor Character Death, Misunderstandings, Parties, Pillow Fights, Sassy Link, Selectively Mute Link, Sidon is hopelessly in love with Link, Threats, a lot of drama in this short story i swear, angst for a good minute, background zelda/ganon, car crash, character death scare, courting, fluff for days, ganon is trash honestly he just keeps getting worse, hear me out zelda isn't that bad, lonely billionaire sidon, misunderstandings for days, money wasted like there's no tomorrow, she's kind of trash but you'll like her eventually, sidlink - Freeform, this got out of hand, top Sidon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-11-12 16:38:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 33,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11165820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Ever since Link moved to West Hyrule, the parties next door grew more and more extravagant and Link had to find out why they were happening… and why the mysterious man next door seemed to be completely fascinated with him.Link would find out everything in due time... and possibly get more than he'd bargained for.





	1. A Little Party Never Killed Nobody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to a remix of Sidon’s theme. I stared at the copy of The Great Gatsby that I left sitting on the table. I wrote this. This got so out of hand but like… I’m not disappointed with it. At 4k words I knew there was no going back. I was committed.
> 
> Crackfic turned story, here’s the Gatsby inspired sidlink fic that no one asked for.

Ever since Link moved to West Hyrule, the parties next door grew more and more extravagant, and the castle itself transformed from the giant building it was into a living, breathing thing of new-age entertainment. Nearly every night the building pulsed with a wild energy that was left unmatched in... perhaps all of Hyrule. The house next door to his was the place to be in Tabantha, and the people of Hyrule filtered in and out of the mansion like water through coral.

What perplexed Link was the sudden frequency with which the parties hit. The first few weeks he’d spent in silence, unpacking his things and making his small house in the forest his own. The residence sat between mansions, but it was small and humble and it fell into his hands at a disturbingly cheap price. Maybe there were rats in the walls.

Link thought late one night, when he’d heard the commotion from next door, that maybe there was a fire. The house lit up so bright that for one quick moment, he’d thought the sun had risen, and the screams of people were closer to fear than ecstasy. He’d prepared to run to get help when he realized that there was no fire… it was just a disturbingly loud house party.

He’d spent the rest of the night trying to cover up the windows that faced the house and making notes to leave the house to buy blinds. Very, very thick blinds. And ear plugs.

On the nights when the neighborhood (although there were only two houses in the immediate area) was silent, Link would walk through the woods towards the house and try to catch a glimpse of the water that lay beyond it.

He loved this place; he really did, when it was quiet. He felt closer to nature here, and the giant, gaudy castle that sat next to his house strangely did little to disturb the scenery. He didn’t want to clean up his yard because it reminded him of the overgrown forests he’d seen on his way from Hateno.

When he was in the store the next week, attempting to purchase blinds, he overheard two people in the isle beside him, laughing loud enough to grab the attention of the store clerk, who made eye contact with Link and rolled his eyes. They were discussing the party that happened last night, Link gathered while he looked between the two different colors and tried to figure out what would go best with the color of his living room.

The voices of the people in this area were loud and the accents were brassy. Everything here was showy, bright and vibrant, and while Link thought about what their demeanors said about them, the couple staggered into the isle near him. Link rolled his eyes at the joke that was prohibition and tried his best to block out their loud exclamations about the party that would happen tonight.

Tonight. At _Sidon’s._

So his mysterious neighbor was named _Sidon._ Sidon, who was somehow everywhere and nowhere at once, gathering half of Hyrule in one house but managing to stay away from the public eye. Sidon, who stood outside on his balcony every quiet afternoon. Sidon, who was just a shadow to Link, an outline against the setting sun.

Sidon, who didn’t know how to give partying a _rest_ and let a man get his _sleep._

Link purchased the blinds, and some curtains to go with them. The store next door had earplugs for a _ridiculous_ amount of rupees, but Link forked them over as soon as the clerk announced the price out loud.

“Not going to the party tonight?” The clerk asked Link as he was leaving with his precious earplugs, and Link shook his head. “It’s a shame! Sidon’s parties are the best.”

Link gave the man a wry smile as a response as he made his way out of the store. _Sidon’s parties are the best,_ Link thought dryly, _sure, they’re the best when you don’t have to work the next morning._

But… when Link got home that night, no party happened. People were definitely arriving at the house, but someone at the door was turning them away. The lights were on in the house, but only in a few rooms towards the top, and Link resisted the urge to stick his nose in his neighbor’s business. Finally, after people stopped arriving to the house next door, Link set to put his curtains up and grabbed a chair from the dining room to stand on while he fumbled with the brackets and nails.

There was a knock on his front door, which interrupted the steady knocking of Link’s hammer on the wall.

When Link opened the door, a man stood there in an ocean blue suit, holding out a card. “Master Link,” he said as the door opened, “Master Sidon invites you to his home.” Link took the card and nodded at the man, and watched him walk down the path before closing the door.

Sidon sent him a… invitation? It was handwritten, Link quickly found out, and there was no way Sidon had time to handwrite invitations to the _hundreds_ of people Link saw entering and exiting his house on a regular basis.

Link tossed the invite on the table and went back to putting up his blinds, and when that task was done, he dug through his bathroom for four bandages to put on the abused fingers of his right hand. Hammers were not something he was accustomed to wielding, that was for sure, and while he nursed his hand he went back to the window to look for the lights in Sidon’s house.

They were all out, leaving the lively castle to look like a shell of itself.

For some reason, Link felt its emptiness.

~X~

The party was like nothing Link had ever seen.

He stood in front of the _behemoth_ of a house, gaping at the sheer size of it.

The house seemed like a mansion from afar, but up close it was a castle, a _palace_ in its grandeur. The amount of money that would have had to been poured into the house boggled Link, as did the various shiny cars that were lined up outside of the house like a row of precious jewels.

People rushed him from all sides, pouring in like the water that ran down either side of the entrance, and Link was here early enough to hear the first notes blaring from the band in the center of the foyer… a foyer that screamed _money_ louder than anything Link had ever seen in his life.

And everything was _glowing,_ from scantily clad women dressed like mermaids at the top of each artificial waterfall to tridents the servers used to balanced their burdens, the room was glowing and pulsing and while it made Link’s head hurt, it also made him feel _alive._

Link fumbled his way through the crowds, trying to show the invite to anyone who would look, and they all stared at it in wonder for a second before the moment vanished and led way into another quick and fleeting one. But no one in this room had seen Sidon.

“I heard he’s the prince of Zoras!”

“I heard these parties are some sort of elaborate _cover up.”_

“ _I_ heard that Sidon doesn’t even _exist!”_

They were in his house, turning the sky into the ground and walking along the stars while he lived in mystery. Maybe he was lingering in the crowd, maybe he was in some room far above, looking eye to eye with the mermaids splashing their artificial tails at the tops of the fountains. Or, maybe, Sidon _didn’t_ exist.

But that wouldn’t explain the mysterious figure Link had see on various nights, staring over the bay in the silent night.

Link would be the first to admit he was a fan of neither dancing nor drinking, but he was wrapped in crowds of moving bodies fueled by illegal alcohol, and he’d heard once that the crime made the liquor taste that much sweeter, made it that much more potent.

Legs kicked, skirts floated high in the air as the room breathed life into the fabric. Women shrieked with laughter, the band moved like the rest of the room, bending and twisting with the music that floated throughout the spacious room. It was like a cavern, with the glowing blue decorations, and each sound that left into the room came back three times.

People screamed as they fell into the pool in droves, and the slightly more sophisticated party animals were at the top of the staircase, throwing their drinks into the thirsty crowd that pulsed below.

The invitation he’d been given was lost and had long been replaced by a vibrant blue drink that Link had no intention of drinking. He tumbled through the crowds, smiling at the exhibitions of wild freedom that the atmosphere encouraged, and he was comforted by the fact that he could go home any time he felt. It wasn’t even that long of a walk.

While he looked around, trying to take everything in, he felt himself crash into someone behind him, and two hands steadied his shoulders while he scrambled to remove himself from the situation. His blue drink fell into the crowd below, sending the vibrant liquid flying across the crowd and eliciting a cheer from the partygoers.

Link spun around… and looked up at the tall redhead that stood over him, smiling softly. When Link offered an awkward smile in return, the stranger’s grin grew.

“Enjoying yourself?” The man asked, yelling over the noise, and Link tried in vain to keep a smile from his face. When he felt himself lose his hold on his fake scowl, the man’s smile grew impossibly wider, and he reached down to grasp Link’s hands in his own. “Join me to dance?”

Link looked out towards the dancing crowds and back at the red haired man, pursing his lips and shrugging, hopefully conveying that he wasn’t-

“Not much of a dancer?” The man asked, and when Link nodded he laughed a laugh that seemed to carry over even the din of the party. It was pure, and Link wasn’t sure he’d ever heard a sound that rich. “Well, my dear Link, when in Rome…?”

Link almost let the rich voice pull him into the crowd to dance, _almost,_ but he realized that he’d never given the man his name. The man caught the confusion on Link’s face and laughed again, and Link realized then that he would listen to that sound on repeat and never tire of it.

How did this complete stranger know his name? Link thought through his foggy mind, trying desperately to hear his thoughts over the party and through the memory of the man’s laugh… when it dawned on him.

The man’s grin grew _impossibly_ wider.

“Join me for a dance, Link,” Sidon said, still holding Link’s hand as he steered him towards a group of people at the top of the second staircase. They walked up together, and as soon as they reached the top, Sidon spun so that he was facing Link, smiling brightly down at him.

Link knew he’d never met anyone as tall as Sidon, and despite how imposing he was, he was impossibly friendly. There was no danger in the giant hands that pulled Link close, no danger in the way Sidon laughed at Link’s fumbling. And unlike most people Link had met in Tabantha so far, Sidon didn’t stop to question Link’s silence.

The question of the reason for the parties stayed unanswered as he listened to Sidon talk endlessly, topic to topic, song to song. They’d stopped dancing long ago, and the two had taken to leaning on the balcony outside, overlooking the pool and its inhabitants. Sidon was animated and open, using his hands to make wide gestures and using his never ending arsenal of witty remarks to make Link laugh.

Sidon was infinitely charming. Each word sounded like it was handmade just for Link, every gesture and every intense glance were crafted just so Link could feel comfortable. Link’s chest still felt cold from when they stopped dancing and Sidon started talking, but he filled that void with the sound of Sidon’s voice…

And he stopped himself. He had to work tomorrow, and here he was, standing on some random wealthy man’s balcony, in a party to end the world. He was reveling in Sidon’s voice, Sidon’s laugh, Sidon’s everything, but Sidon was a _stranger,_ and this stranger’s charm was suspiciously crafted in a way that made Link think it was artificial.

Sidon was in the middle of talking about… a boat? Link was confused as to how Sidon was nearly hit by a _boat_ and shook his head, patting Sidon’s arm to get his attention. He pointed towards his house, then to his wrist. Sidon’s golden eyes widened and he glanced between Link and his house.

“Oh, I forgot that you’d have to leave early! I would be delighted if you would let me walk you home?” Link shook his head and ignored the way Sidon’s face seemed to fall. “Very well, then. I wish you a good night, Link!”

~X~

The sound of the phone ringing woke Link up, and while he dragged himself out of the bed to get it, he also realized that despite his newly purchased window coverings, he could see that the sky was already high in the sky.

He was grossly late to work, but he figured that one couldn’t be late if one never showed up, so he lazed his way to the phone and picked up, hanging up immediately after to let whoever was calling him know that he was home. The phone rang again, and he lifted it to his ear, sighing into the speaker.

“Link! Yes, I know you don’t do phone calls but I was calling to let you know that I want you to come visit me!” The volume of the words startled Link away from the phone, but he got the gist of things. He hadn’t visited his cousin Zelda in a minute, and she’d completely slipped his mind when he’d moved to West Hyrule. When he thought about it… she lived just across the bay. He could visit her today if he wanted to.

The line was silent for a moment and Zelda laughed at the situation. “I know it’s odd for me to be calling you, but I just wanted to let you know that you’re welcome over any time! Bye!” And the line went dead. Link sighed to himself and went to get ready, knowing that Zelda calling him really meant that she was expecting him tonight, if not earlier.

When he left the house, locking the door behind him, he spared a glance at Sidon’s house, and saw that Sidon was there, on the balcony. He waved at Link, and Link waved back, squinting to see his outline against the sun behind him.

“Join me, Link!” Sidon bellowed, and Link huffed out a quiet laugh. “The view is amazing!”

But Link had places to be. While Link would’ve loved to watch the water with this interesting stranger, he had a commitment that sat on the other side of that mysterious bay that intrigued Sidon so. Link had no idea if Sidon would understand him if he signed, but he tried anyway.

_“I’m going to visit my cousin.”_

There was a moment of pause while Link lowered his hands, and Sidon waved again. “Of course!” he yelled, “I will see you another time, then!” Link smiled and hoped that Sidon could see it before turning to head into the city.

~X~

Central Hyrule was just as busy as Link remembered, with every sort of event happening at the same time, and like one of Sidon’s extravagant parties, it was full of life and enjoyment.

Link watched the city unfold outside of the taxi window, and he’d managed to communicate to the driver where he was going simply by pointing towards in the direction of one of the most affluent parts of Hyrule.

There were three houses here in Zelda’s part of town, and hers was the largest and grandest, sitting quietly on the perfectly manicured land like Hyrule’s prettiest castle. The grounds were peaceful, and Link paid the taxi driver while he gawked at the residence.

It had been years since he’d visited Zelda at her home, but the property was mostly the same, save for the addition of a horse stable. That must have been Ganon’s idea.

Ganondorf greeted Link at the door, his large hands patting Link’s back as he stumbled through the entryway, and Link couldn’t help but compare this house to Sidon’s.

Ganondorf led him to a room where Zelda sat, lounging on one of the many soft sofas in the room, fanning herself delicately. She looked contemplative while she sat, but upon Link’s entrance, she stood up and greeted him boisterously.

“Oh dear Link I feel like I haven’t seen you in 100 years!” She cried while she gave him a hug, and he shrugged, grinning while he signed.

_“Sleeping.”_

Zelda laughed again and Link didn’t miss the way her eyes narrowed when Ganon stayed in the room, asking one of the butlers for three glasses of cool water.

“So, tell me about your life, Link. Is it lonely in West Hyrule with all those party animals?”

_“I live next to Sidon,”_ Link signed, hoping that Zelda would have heard of him.

“You live next to _Sidon?”_ She leaned forward on her palm, obviously interested, and Ganondorf laughed his booming laugh.

“That fake prince? I heard that his money’s a scam!”

“Oh?” Zelda said with fake interest, rolling her eyes at Link while Ganon replied.

“Yes! He was poor as _dirt_ before that scandal in that Zora family! His father died, then his sister, and he was left the sole heir! Seems to me he doesn’t know what to do with the money!”

Zelda shot Link a wry smile, mouthing the next words that left Ganondorf’s mouth as if she’d heard him say them thousands of times.

“If he was anything like me, he’d _invest that money!”_

Link and Zelda laughed out loud at Zelda’s mockery, and Ganon huffed in response, walking into the other room, seeking the cool air of a room that hadn’t been exposed to open windows and direct sun.

“What’s it like? You get any sleep?”

_“I went to one of the parties. It was water themed_ ,” Link replied, trying to keep his grin in. “ _He seems nice.”_

“You met him?”

“Don’t let his ignorance rub off on you, Link!” Ganon yelled from the other room, and Zelda rolled her eyes again. Link never knew why she stayed married to Ganon, considering the dislike that hung heavily in the air whenever they were together.

“Maybe I’ll be your date to one,” Zelda said in a low whisper, leaning forward towards him. Link laughed in response and Zelda rocked back in amusement.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in good light, with Zelda and Link joking and Ganondorf’s rude interruptions. Link and Zelda made nothing of it, until Ganon finally interrupted their conversation.

“Link, I don’t know why you don’t speak out loud—it’s rude you know! Moving your hands around like that’s a way to communicate! Nothing’s wrong with you, you can—“

“Ganon.” Zelda cut Ganondorf off with one sharp word in his direction. Her eyes were scanning Link’s face, but Link was mostly ignoring her husband while he hatefully attacked Link. “It’s not his fault that you didn’t want to learn how to sign with me.”

Link ignored their bickering and glanced at the clock in the room, and realized with a jolt that it was nearly two am. If he missed another day at work, he would likely be returning home with no money and no job.

“You must have to go, Link,” Zelda said, watching him watch the clock. When he nodded, Zelda jumped up. “I’ll have one of our drivers take you home. It was a pleasure having you!”

And with that he was rushed off to a black car and the driver drove him home in silence, delivering him at the front of his house before winding back down his long driveway.

Sidon’s house was silent and dark, save for the few lights that lit up the top windows.

By this time, it was three am, and Link knew that he would just have to kiss his employment goodbye. He’d saved enough money to carry him over to his next job, so he knew that it would be no issue for him to stay unemployed… he just didn’t know what he’d do with all of the time.

~X~

Link found out later that Sidon knew _exactly_ what to do with Link’s spare time.

All of Link’s waking moments were quickly consumed by Sidon, going on boat rides off of Lurelin harbor and having lunch atop some of the tallest buildings in Central Hyrule.

Sidon spent the entire time giving Link glimpses into his world, from the flashy jazz scene to the seedy dealings of bootlegging alcohol, Sidon was happy to show Link what he saw in the world. And Link was very happy to see it.

Sidon showed Link everything West Hyrule had to offer, providing Link with a new coat each time they ventured into the cold of Tabantha together, and let Link know that he could show Link all of Hyrule… perhaps, all of the _world_ if Link would let him.

Link would see it all… except, despite all the time they’d spent together, Link knew nothing about Sidon.

Sidon seemed to know Link, though, picking up on the inner workings of his mind faster than anyone ever had, knowing just what to say to Link at just the right time. There was nothing Sidon didn’t know about Link…

But Sidon himself was a mystery, and Link didn’t know the right questions to ask to get the answers he wanted. Still, Link was taken completely by the mystery man with all the money in the world and all of the keys to Link’s heart.

Every time Sidon would take his hands into his own, Link felt the excitement he’d felt from the party that one night course through his veins, quick and hot. The excitement curled in the bottom of Link’s belly and wrapped up until Link could feel the affection heat his face and draw him closer to those golden eyes that looked at him like he was the only man on the planet.

“Dance with me, dear Link?” Sidon said to him in his sure voice, and Link nodded, looking around the vast foyer. It was even larger, now that it was devoid of people and furniture, and Link let his hands brush over the intricate carvings in the walls. The floors gleamed as Link’s bare feet stepped across it. He was still warm from their swim in Sidon’s endless pool, and Sidon’s hands on his shoulders only made him feel warmer.

Link spun in Sidon’s arms and faced him, laughing as Sidon shouted for someone to turn on the giant record player that sat high above the foyer… and the music that played was fast and brassy.

Sidon grabbed Link and swept him up in a hurricane of strong arms and long red hair, and Link laughed while they spun around with Link’s feet barely touching the ground. They kept spinning until the room swayed, and kept moving even then. Sidon’s laughter boomed through Link where their chests connected and into the room where it rang endlessly above the loud music.

“You’re so beautiful, my dear Link,” Sidon said while they twisted and spun around the room, and Link grinned at him slyly, ducking out of his arms to spin away. Sidon laughed again and they danced like the world was on its last legs, and Link felt himself falling for the man named Sidon whose parties were fewer between. Sidon, who loved to stare out across the bay. At the water or at the land across it, Link would never know.

All he knew is that he loved the way those golden eyes looked at him and he loved the way Sidon’s long red hair fell from the pony tail he kept gathered behind his head.

Link found himself swept quickly into Sidon’s life of wild parties and dancing, found himself dancing with Sidon like there was no tomorrow, staying for the entirety of every party and collapsing back into Sidon’s grand bed at the end of the night, exhausted and content to wake up and do the whole thing again the next night, never tiring at the endless flow of people and never tiring of Sidon’s warm arms at the end of the night.

Link wondered if his house was going stale at his absence while he and Sidon partied and ate the most expensive food they could find, running through life until they collapsed from exhaustion.

Link could lie in those arms forever.

“Feel like going out today, Link?” Sidon said to him one morning while they let the morning breeze flow through the spacious room. Link rolled over to look at him, thinking about the question. He didn’t feel like moving one inch.

Sidon took one look at Link’s face and laughed. “Staying in it is!” And he hopped from the bed, tossing the comforter onto Link playfully while he made his way towards the bathroom, laughing the whole way. Link scrambled from under the comforter and rolled over on his stomach, watching Sidon go.

He thought about what Ganon had said to him so many weeks ago, about the true source of Sidon’s money, and Link thought about how tragic that would have been… and Sidon had mentioned nothing of it.

He supposed he couldn’t expect Sidon to want to reveal something like that freely… but Link liked to think that maybe it was something he should know about. Where did the money really come from?

Link did know that Sidon loved the water, and his muscular body moved through it effortlessly. Link had a bit of trouble staying in the water for any extended period of time, but he had a suspicion that if Sidon could live in the water, he’d stay there forever.

“Want to take a picture?” Sidon joked and Link startled, not noticing that he’d been staring in Sidon’s direction while he thought. He mimicked a camera motion with his hands and Sidon laughed, jumping on the bed and disturbing Link’s careful balance.

_“How’d you get rich_ ,” Link signed, holding his hands out so that Sidon could see from his place on the bed. Link didn’t imagine the way Sidon’s muscles all tensed as he processed what Link was asking.

“I… ah…” Sidon turned and placed one hand on the side of Link’s face, looking past him and towards the window that looked out over the ocean. “My family was killed, and even though we were estranged, my father left me a small portion of his wealth. My sister was to inherit most of the money and property, but… she was killed as well.”

_“I’m sorry_.” Link wasn’t prepared to hear the sorrow in Sidon’s voice, and suddenly he felt terrible for trying to confirm what started out as a rumor.

“It happened a good bit of time ago,” Sidon said in response. His hand drifted from Link’s cheek to Link’s hair, and the blond closed his eyes in response, letting Sidon run his hands through the locks that were falling now to Link’s shoulders.

They spent the rest of the morning subdued, lounging around in bed and snacking on the food that was leftover from the night before.

“Tell me about your cousin,” Sidon said while they lounged. Link laughed.

_“She’s funny,”_ he signed, thinking. Now that he was being asked, he didn’t know much about Zelda at all. _She’s married to a jerk._ Sidon laughed at that and Link made a serious face, causing Sidon’s grin to grow even wider. “ _He’s so mean. His name is Ganondorf.”_

When Link spelled the name out, Sidon froze quickly before relaxing back to his content smile. “Can’t say I’ve heard anything nice about him, no.”

_“She made me eat a frog when we were kids.”_ Sidon’s eyes widened in shock and when Link swatted his shoulder he stopped trying to hide his amusement. Link thought, then, about something he’d been meaning to ask the man since they’d met.

_“Why do you know how to sign?”_

Sidon smiled at Link in the way that Link loved and then pursed his lips, thinking about an answer. “Well, I like expanding my horizons? I didn’t want to be… disconnected from a person because they couldn’t hear. Or couldn’t speak.”

Link’s ever softening heart swooned at the answer and when he grinned at Sidon, he was rewarded with another one of Sidon’s personal smiles. And then… they just looked at each other in the soft sunlight.

Link thought he heard Sidon whisper his name while they leaned in toward each other, but Link was too busy trying to quiet his heart as its beating rang loudly in his head. His lips met Sidon’s softly, and the air shared between them sighed in reprieve.

Link felt his body melt into Sidon with the new knowledge that Sidon kissed like he smiled and talked, personally and intimately. This kiss was made just for him, hand crafted with Sidon’s charm and patience, and Link sighed into it, letting every muscle in his body go to Sidon’s will.

Sidon shifted their bodies so that he was on his side beside Link, and leaned down to kiss him again, and Link reached up with both arms to bury his hands in Sidon’s vibrant hair. He felt a shiver go down his spine when Sidon disconnected from him to plant kisses down his neck and towards his back, stopping at the side of Link’s neck to whisper his name again.

Link shivered again when he felt Sidon’s tongue dart across his lips, and he opened his mouth quickly… before Sidon backed away, his eyes glued on Link’s lips.

“I’m sorry, Link, I did not mean for this to go this far.” Link stared at him in confusion while Sidon continued. “I feel like I haven’t allowed you to know much about myself. This must be strange for you.”

Link looked Sidon in the eye for a long moment before mouthing, “No,” with a shake of his head to punctuate it, and Sidon looked at him softly.

“I don’t want to rush this, Link.”

_“Too late.”_ And Link reached in for another kiss, letting relief wash over him when Sidon didn’t resist.

Sidon, with a renewed vigor, flipped them both over so that Link was closer to being on top, and let his hands trail up and down Link’s bare sides, his thumbs hooking over Link’s shorts before coming back up to tickle his back. Link sighed into the kiss again, and Sidon disconnected to continue placing kisses on every part of Link’s skin.

“So this is alright?” Sidon asked as he traveled down Link’s pale chest, and Link nodded vigorously. “Wonderful.”  Sidon’s grip on Link’s waist tightened for a moment and he used his strong arms to move Link back. He leaned his back on the headboard and kissed Link’s neck from this new position, letting Link straddle his lap.

Link felt a wave of newfound courage wash over him, and he used his new position to his advantage. He rolled his hips down towards Sidon’s and reveled in the gasp that the redhead let roll across his neck. Link repeated the motion and was met with hands tightening on his hips and a moan that was delightfully close to his ear. He rolled again, and again, until he’d set a pace that had Sidon’s hands traveling from his waist and to the tops of his shorts.

Sidon hooked his thumbs along the edges of the fabric again, pulling them down but making sure to miss Link’s underwear on the way, and Link lifted himself up to help Sidon remove his pants. Link mourned the absence of Sidon’s hands while they set to removing his own shorts, but was not disappointed when they returned to change their position once again.

Link closed his eyes when he felt Sidon’s hands travel back over is ass, working their way under his shorts to hold the skin underneath. Sidon’s mouth made it to Link’s chest, then, and he gasped when he felt the shock of teeth on his nipple. Sidon laughed quietly and Link felt the vibrations travel across his chest and stomach. Sidon stopped his advances, however, and pushed Link away from him just enough to allow him to reach for the dresser, and Link took this chance to reach down and wrap his fingers around Sidon’s erection, shifting it so that he could see its pink head poking out from the top of Sidon’s boxers.

Link was captivated by it, completely invested in watching the way it twitched as he ran his thumb across the slit. Sidon let out a low moan that left Link’s own cock twitching before returning his now oiled hands to Link’s ass.

Link’s hips rolled forward again when he felt Sidon’s finger press against his hole, circling it before slipping in, and he pulled down Sidon’s shorts to let his cock spring free, sitting beside Link’s between their stomachs.

Link closed his eyes and let himself _feel,_ and before he knew it he felt himself being stretched while Sidon guided his cock into him, and Link lowered himself down slowly, stopping when a shock of pain traveled up his back.

“Take your time,” Sidon whispered to him while they waited, but his voice was strained. Link felt his legs trembling as they fought to hold their position but let himself slip lower and lower until he was completely seated in Sidon’s lap, his legs spread wide, and he leaned back on his hands and let his cock flop into place on his stomach.

They sat there for a moment, the air thick between them as they breathed heavily into it, and Link made the mistake of lifting his head to look Sidon in the eye.

He didn’t meet Sidon’s eyes, but he was fine with that, watching the red haired man watch the way his body was spread, tracing the arch of Link’s back… while Link looked, he tentatively raised his hips and dropped them back down, and Sidon’s gaze shot up to Link’s face with a gasp. Sidon was met with a sly smile when he looked up, and Link tried it again, falling in love with the way Sidon stretched him and the little bit of pain he felt only added to the pleasure.

“You’re doing so good, darling,” Sidon said quietly while he watched Link adjust himself. “You’re so beautiful.”

From the start, Link could tell that the pace they started from the beginning was too slow, and Sidon’s quiet groans were spurring Link to move faster until Sidon was snapping his own hips up to meet Link half way, and their pace quickened until Link felt himself unable to keep up.

With a groan Sidon shifted Link higher in his lap, and Link reached out to grip the headboard behind Sidon’s head, burying his head in the side of Sidon’s neck and letting Sidon’s long hair cover his face. His breath came from him in small gasps, and he felt his voice straining to be released. He did his best to hold in the loud groans that he knew would come out if he let them…

Until Sidon ran his cock into the _best spot_. Link screamed, feeling a little guilty when he realized his proximity to Sidon’s ear, but couldn’t keep back the moans that followed as Sidon kept hitting that spot, talking in a quiet voice to Link while he did so.

Between Sidon’s voice speaking to him, _praising him_ , and the pace they’d set, Link was barely containing himself. He rolled forward to catch the friction between his cock and Sidon’s stomach, and he felt his whole body arch forward when Sidon’s hand took hold of his erection and matched their pace perfectly. Sidon’s hand moved in time with the jolts of pleasure that ran through his body.

Link was holding himself back with every bone in his body, listening to Sidon’s soft moans in his ear when Sidon leaned in and whispered, “it’s okay, love, you can come.”

Link came between the two of them, trying desperately to ride his orgasm out despite his trembling limbs, and while his vision stuttered its way back into existence he felt Sidon’s hands tighten on his hips. He caught himself begging to Sidon in barely audible whispers as he came down.

Sidon was still fucking him like he was the only thing that mattered and between the oversensitivity and Sidon’s quiet moans in his ear, he was shocked to find out that he was growing hard again and coming closer and closer to orgasm with every thrust.

Sidon flipped them over, then, and Link felt his back go crashing down on the bed while Sidon drove into him, arms trembling on either side of Link’s head. Link could hardly decide between burying his fists in Sidon’s hair or in the sheets behind him, and one hand took up each task, grounding him to the bed while Sidon _kept going_ until his strokes stuttered.

Link wrapped his legs around Sidon’s back and tentatively clenched his ass and Sidon’s thrusts came to a stop while Sidon came with an enormous shiver above him, and taking a few more strokes before planting a sloppy kiss on Link’s lips. Link’s eyes were glued shut but his hand flew up to join the other in Sidon’s hair while they exchanged the kiss, and then Sidon was gone, traveling down Link’s chest, Link’s stomach, before taking Link’s cock in his mouth and _oh god_ Link felt his vision go white.

It didn’t take long after that for Link to come _again_ , and he was left trembling on the bed, his hands clenching and unclenching in Sidon’s hair while he tried to even out his breathing. His body ached, unused to the level of activity he’d suddenly done, and when he opened his eyes he was greeted with Sidon sitting over him, smiling.

“You’re beautiful, dear Link,” Sidon said quietly, and Link felt his face heat up like it’d done when he’d first heard Sidon utter those words while they danced in the foyer.

Link pulled his hands from Sidon’s hair and placed them on either side of his face, staring back at Sidon with heavy-lidded eyes. “Sidon,” Link whispered, and Sidon’s eyes went wide in surprise, leaning down for another sloppy kiss. Link felt a smile form on his face at the thought of Sidon’s shock, and he kissed along Sidon’s jaw, stopping at his ear to whisper, “Sidon,” and reveled in the moan that he earned.

They stayed on the bed like that for longer than Link could count, and Link dozed with the feeling of Sidon’s hands in his hair and Sidon’s lips on his face and neck, occasionally stopping to leave dark bruises in their wake.

When it was time for them to leave bed, late in the afternoon, Link found that his legs were barely willing to cooperate, and Sidon laughed his loud boisterous laugh after making sure Link was alright. He left to go to the bathroom, and returned to help Link to the bath he’d drawn.

He stripped the bed of sheets and went to retrieve clean ones, and when he returned to the bathroom, Link lured him into the giant tub with a smile and that ever tempting whisper, and Sidon took him for the second time that day, sending Link’s ecstatic moans into the air to echo off the tile in the spacious room.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I ever written sex before? Nope. Is it painfully obvious? Yes. Hopefully I can ride out this Sidlink obsession I'm having and get back to the regularly scheduled stories. But, for now, know that I'll be back.
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/drdiss/legend-of-zelda-botw-prince-sidon-theme-swanky-as-heck-remix


	2. Within and Without

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link introduces Sidon to Zelda and they enjoy a nice dinner.  
> Or, that's how it should have happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this chapter was an accident? I meant to write a little bit to tie the last chapter into a scene I had pre-written, but I messed up and ended up with 5k words that didn't tie in at all. So the real angst hits next chapter instead of in this one. Also Ganon's an asshole, but I doubt anyone will be mad about that. 
> 
> Warnings for car accidents and homophobic language.

The world around him twisted and spun, churning until it was something of the golden Hyrule that Link had only seen through a window, his hand pressed against the cold surface of his unremarkable life. The life roared in his ears, loudly and demanding all of his attention, and he felt like he’d lose himself in the endless, swirling, fast and tumultuous life of those drowning in _money_ if not for Sidon’s hand to guide him through.

And Sidon was an excellent guide, turning his world, bright as the sun, to a sparkling gem so that Link could see each facet of the complex nights they spent together.

Maybe Link felt like he was cheating when he found himself fed by the staff in Sidon’s kitchen or sleeping the days away in Sidon’s spacious room, but he couldn’t help but let Sidon spoil him… and Sidon never passed up a chance to do just that.

Link began to wonder why he’d bothered to buy a house with all the time he spent in Sidon’s house, lazing around in the giant pool beside the house, looking out over the bay, or watching Sidon’s poor attempts at cooking while they sat in the kitchen, or basking in his afterglow in Sidon’s room sized bathtub.

He’d fallen completely in love with his mysterious neighbor.

He was sure Zelda was tired of his gushing, but every time he was with her he couldn’t stop himself from discussing Sidon with her, happiness flooding every bit of his being, and at the strangest times he could feel Sidon’s never ending enthusiasm in his heart.

“ _I end up doing all of the cooking,”_ Link gestured excitedly to Zelda while they lounged on one of her many sofas, the only movement in the picturesque stillness of the room. “ _I know I don’t have to, but Sidon insists on cooking for me and I end up finishing the meal.”_

Zelda laughed, then, but Link couldn’t quite tell if the dryness in her voice came from exhaustion or… something else. Link wasn’t paying too much attention.

He knew deep down that Sidon’s world wasn’t Zelda’s world. It was in the way Ganon and Zelda seemed to belong to the life they lived, raised and bathed with money, more money that Link could imagine. It was in the way Sidon seemed to never sit still, intent on seeing and doing everything that Zelda seemed to already have done. It was like Zelda had already arrived, and Sidon was… rushing to catch up.

Ganon’s voice echoed in his mind when he thought this, the scorn of “those new money types”.

What life would it be, Link wondered, if you’d seen and done everything? What life was a life that had nothing new to offer? Would Sidon soon spend his days sitting in a room, day in and day out, watching the wind send waves across the water in the bay? Would he spend his time just lounging and swimming, letting his skin grow delicate in the safety of indulgence?

But Link, for now, was fascinated with Sidon’s endless enthusiasm and the way he could smile at life and receive a smile in return.

“ _The other day he-“_

“Link,” Zelda said in her usually quiet voice, but there was that dryness again, and Link couldn’t find the source of it. “I am becoming rather tired. This heat will drain a girl, you know. I think I’m going to retire. You can stay as long as you’d like, though.”

She was really telling him to leave, and that was a hint that Link could take. He bid her goodbye and left her house, wondering to himself why she’d practically kicked him out… she was probably tired of hearing about Sidon every time they talked. As he left, Zelda spun quickly.

“Link, wait! We’re having dinner next week, and I would be delighted if you could show!” She sounded completely honest, at least, and Link smiled and nodded. “I’ll give you more details next time I see you!”

They usually kept their talks away from Ganondorf, who held some sort of hatred for Sidon that Link couldn’t figure out, but he guessed that it boiled down to the fact that Ganon kept making comments about how uncultured Sidon was…

And Ganon was not shy about criticizing Link’s silence, either.

On a day that let Link feeling particularly exhausted, Link sat in the back seat of Zelda and Ganon’s car, holding in his frustrated anger at Ganon as the man freely hurled all kinds of slurs. His irritation carried to Zelda, who’d playfully rolled her eyes at Link while his irritation built up in him…

“You know those rumors out about that fake prince? And you still stay in his company, huh?” Ganon asked harshly while they piled in the car, and Link resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“ _I don’t believe in listening to rumors,”_ Link signed to Zelda, who said aloud, “Link knows that talk is just talk.”

Ganon scoffed. “Talk isn’t just talk when it’s about that pervert! He fucks other men you know! Disgusting, if you ask me. You don’t even need to ask me, its basic biology! It’s wrong, and it’s not just me, science says so!”

“Stop.” Link said aloud, finally, when Ganon began to use _science_ to justify his ignorance. “Stop.” Link said again, and Ganon turned around at the wheel, eyeing Link quickly before moving on to a more neutral topic.

Ganon and Zelda discussed the stock market and their various investments while Link sat fuming in the back seat. He thought about the careless way Zelda let the insults roll from her shoulders with no attempt to defend the targets of Ganon’s hate.

But, Link was content to let it all roll off of _his_ shoulders when he was in Sidon’s company. It didn’t matter if that night was one of relaxation or one of Sidon’s infamous parties, Link was content to spend it in Sidon’s presence. He could brush off whatever discomfort Zelda and Ganondorf caused him when he knew that being home meant he’d hear Sidon’s breathy moans in his ear.

He would always be comfortable when he was with Sidon, and Zelda couldn’t ruin that. Or so he thought.

He’d invited Zelda over one afternoon, and they sat in his humble abode, discussing whatever topics came to mind and listening to the radio, and Link felt content talking about old times with his cousin.

Zelda kept him updated on the inner-workings of families Link didn’t care to think about, talking about how Ganon was feuding with the current heir to the throne of the Gerudo steel company and how people were wondering when the son of Dorephan would step up to take the seat as the CEO of the family company.

Link didn’t think anything of it until his front door opened to reveal Sidon, and the pair seated in the living room looked up with surprise.

“Well, speak of the devil!” Zelda exclaimed, throwing her hands together, and Link thought back in his mind to when she’d mentioned Sidon. Nothing was ringing the bell, and Link stayed confused while Sidon walked into the house.

“Did I catch you at a bad time, Link?” He asked, and Link shook his head and lifted his hands to introduce the two. “This is your cousin?”

Zelda’s stare was more focused than Link had ever seen it, and it seemed to bore to the very depths of Sidon’s soul. His usually vibrant personality was gone from the room, and something cold replaced it, hanging heavy in the air around them.

 _“Sidon, this is Zelda,”_ Link signed quickly, eyes darting between them.

“Nice to meet you, Zelda,” Sidon said quietly, his hand still frozen on the doorknob.

“Nice to see you too, Sidon,” Zelda replied happily, still holding her hands in front of her. “I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced. I’m Zelda, of the Hyrule family.” She failed to mention that she’d married into the Gerudo.

And the two stared at each other. Link stared between them.

“That means you come from a very prestigious family, no?” Sidon asked, and he sounded… strained. Link was shocked and slowly becoming more and more convinced that Zelda and Sidon did know each other.

“You could say that,” Zelda said with a quiet laugh. “Link and I were just discussing your family’s company. An awful lot of people expect you to take over, since the current CEO is planning to retire.” Link blinked for a minute before realizing… _that_ was where Sidon got all of his money.

“Oh,” Sidon said simply. “That.” Link was becoming more and more anxious as the space expanded between them, and never had Link felt more uncomfortable with _silence._

They stared.

“Well, Link, I’ll catch you another time,” Sidon said quickly, tripping over his words before turning to leave the room. “It was nice to meet you, Zelda.” And he ran from the room, closing the door swiftly behind him.

“Your dear neighbor seems like quite the nervous one,” Zelda comme

nted, and Link nodded slowly, perplexed by Sidon’s odd behavior. If Link didn’t know any better, he’d say that Sidon was physically sick.

_“You’ve never met him?”_

“He doesn’t know me,” Zelda replied with a shake of her head, not quite answering the question Link had asked. 

They talked for a while more, but Link stayed distracted, thinking about the man who’d run out of his house in a hurry. Sidon, whose voice never wavered, stuttering through his words while he ran from the room.

“You’re distracted, Link,” Zelda said to him after a moment, and he felt guilty that he’d ignored everything she’d been saying up until now, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Sidon— “I’m going to leave. We’ll talk later? Don’t forget that dinner’s tomorrow night!” She hadn’t told him the last bit, and he’d honestly forgotten she’d invited him.

 _“Of course,”_ Link told her, and waited until her car was clear of his long driveway before jogging over to Sidon’s house, waving at the doorman before entering. He looked around for a moment before heading upstairs. Sidon was nowhere in sight.

A quick glance to the balcony revealed nothing, and Link milled around aimlessly in Sidon’s bedroom until heading back downstairs. There were beautiful smells wafting from the kitchen, but the impossibly tall redhead was absent from there, too.

Link found him, finally, in the pool.

Sidon reminded Link of a shark with the way he sliced easily through the water. He moved in the water like he was built for the water, his long hair trailing behind his head like a tail, floating around him like a halo against the reflection of the dark blue sky.

Sidon hadn’t spotted him yet, considering the way he mindlessly sped through the pool, coming to the surface for air before submerging himself again.

Link took up a spot on one of the large chairs beside the pool, curling up under a blanket in the cool night air, watching speed through the water like he sped through life, constantly chasing the next experience it had to offer him.

Something like doubt pulled in the bottom of Link’s stomach. _What if he was just another “experience” to Sidon?_

He shook it off as quickly as it appeared, burrowing further into his blanket while he sat beside the pool, waiting patiently for Sidon to notice him.

What could have disturbed Sidon so much? If what Zelda said was true, and he’d never met her before, why did he act as if she was physically forcing him from the room?

Zelda’s stare had been cold, but her voice was warm and inviting, and maybe Link was just used to her demeanor. He could see how she could be intimidating with her steely blue gaze and grace. Her body spoke of a deep knowledge, and to the common man her presence was that of royalty.

And… he’d spent months with Sidon. Laid with him countless times and watched the stars after. Sidon knew ever intimate way his body worked, and he knew the same of the redhead. They knew each other by gestures, words no longer needed. A glance in the other’s eyes was enough…

So why did Link not know anything about Sidon’s past? He knew that Sidon was a Zora, but that his late father was the founder of the second largest company in Hyrule? That would make Sidon one of the richest men in the country.

Link knew exactly how to trace his hands down the expanse of Sidon’s back, how to ghost his hands over the man’s skin… but he didn’t know that Sidon’s late sister was also a business owner, and every one of her prospects fell into Sidon’s hands as well. There were a number of hospitals under Sidon’s ownership, as well as various stores and segments of his father’s company.

He hated that he’d learned this from Zelda, and he hated the way his cousin looked at him when he confessed that he didn’t know this. It was almost… expectant. Like she’d expected Sidon to not tell him this and that it was her job to educate Link.

Link honestly didn’t care too much about Sidon’s business endeavors. He was certain that Sidon was no gangster, or bootlegger, he was no corrupt mogul or robber. But it bothered Link that he didn’t know much of the man he’d let into the deepest inner-workings of his life.

Link didn’t know that he’d dozed off until wet hands framing his face threw him out of sleep. He smiled up at Sidon, who smiled back at him in the vibrant way he had.

“Long day, dear Link?” Sidon asked, and Link nodded, sitting up from his spot to let Sidon sit. Sidon’s dripping body was cold, but Link didn’t care so long as he was close to the man he’d fallen for. Link ran his hands through Sidon’s wet hair, brushing it away from his face.

“Link, I’m terribly sorry about what happened at your house. I don’t know what got into me.” Sidon confessed as they sat together. Link hummed in response, detangling the long red locks. “Your cousin’s presence startled me.”

Link was… distracted, though. He’d already spent too much time thinking about what happened, and he was too drowsy to think too deeply about the earlier events of the day. _“It’s fine,”_ Link gestured, and returned his hands to Sidon’s hair, listening to the redhead hum as he did so.

Sidon pulled him in for a slow kiss, and  Link leaned into it, enjoying how Sidon’s lips caressed his, leaving cool breaths to mingle with Link’s… until Sidon pulled away and pressed his damp forehead to Link’s.

“While I’d love to—“ Link interrupted him with another kiss, and Sidon sighed into it, placing his hands on either side of Link’s face. “Link, love, I need to discuss something with you.”

Link leaned back, looking at Sidon expectantly.

“You know my home town is in Lanayru, over in West Hyrule. There’s… I’m sure you’ve heard from Zelda, I’m thinking about taking over the family business. Or, at least a part of it.”

Link nodded, still running his hands through Sidon’s damp hair.

“I want to take you with me when I visit. I’m sure my remaining family would love to meet you.”

Link froze, letting his hands linger in Sidon’s hair before removing them, hesitating when they moved. _“Are you sure?”_

“Positive,” Sidon answered without hesitation. “Unless you don’t want to…?”

 _“I’d love to,”_ Link replied quickly, returning his hands to Sidon’s hair. He was obsessed with it, they way it fell down Sidon’s back in thick waves. The thick strands were hard to work through, but Link found a way to do it without causing Sidon discomfort, and Sidon seemed to enjoy the attention. Sidon gave a pleased hum in response.

Link couldn’t help but notice how unusually subdued Sidon was, trading his loud proclamations of excitement for quiet sounds, and Link leaned away from the embrace for a moment. _“Do you know Zelda?”_

“I knew her as a child, but her father wasn’t keen to letting her around my family.” Sidon went back to that unusually quiet demeanor, leaning into Link’s touch.

 _“Zelda invited me to dinner tomorrow night,”_ Link told him. _“I don’t know if the invitation extends to you or not, but I want you to come.”_

“I’d be glad to accompany you, dear Link!” Sidon said, and Link felt like it was a shadow of his previous excitement. It felt almost forced.

_“Sidon what’s wrong?”_

“There have been a lot of things on my mind as of late. It’s nothing I want to concern you with, love.”

Link narrowed his eyes at Sidon, but let him wrap him into another embrace, and they stayed together by the pool well into the night, watching the stars spin above them.

~X~

Link let Sidon drive him to Zelda’s in his vibrant car and found his thoughts preoccupied with trying to make sure he didn’t fall out of the car with each of Sidon’s reckless spins.

While he held on for dear life, they sped across the city and Link watched the life he used to live speed by him. The sun was setting and the lights of the city were beginning to shine, and Link could feel the change in the air as they exited the city of Tabantha and neared Central Hyrule.

The change was swift, and he felt Sidon slow his car as they drove, and the city lights slowly dimmed until their only light along the quiet roads was that of the fading sun, and Link felt himself relax to the sound of Sidon’s amused laugh.

The time they’d spent together that day did little to nothing to alleviate Sidon’s ever present stress, and Link could _see it_ , despite what his lover was doing to hide it from him.

When they finally arrived at Zelda’s sprawling property, Link gave Sidon a kiss that he _hoped_ was reassuring, and they walked side by side to the front door, where they were welcomed in…

And they were met with Ganondorf.

The large man offered a grin to Link, clapping him on the shoulder and nearly knocking him over. Link didn’t miss the way he stared at Sidon, sizing him up, and Link realized that Ganon and Sidon were nearly the same height, and from his height it was harder to see who was taller. They were both equally imposing, and they were using their intimidation to its full extent… Link grabbed Sidon’s hand and pulled him down the hall, already tired of the posturing.

 _“I told Ganon to behave tonight,”_ Zelda signed at Link as he walked in, her hands slow and uncertain while she formed the symbols. She said aloud, “Link, Sidon, it’s so nice to see you!” And she stood to give Link a kiss and his partner a nod.

Ganon followed them in, his signature scowl on his face. He kept eyeing Sidon, and Link hoped, _prayed_ that Ganon would leave them alone and let them enjoy dinner.

“It’s nice to see you again, Link,” Ganon said when they all sat down, and Link nodded at him, holding his hands to reply when Ganon kept speaking, “You know I can’t understand your funny gestures.”

Link’s eyes shot to Sidon, who was growing more and more irritated by the second, and pursed his lips, holding up his hands in a false surrender.

“Ganon,” Zelda said in a warning tone. “It’s not Link’s fault you didn’t want to learn to sign with me!” Link wondered if this was something Zelda said to him often, because both times he’d heard her say it, she sounded like she was reading from a carefully written script.

“It doesn’t take long to learn, either,” Sidon said in a forced imitation of his usually enthused manner while he poked at the beautifully grilled salmon on his plate. “It’s quite helpful. This salmon is delicious, by the way.”

“I’m glad you like it!” Zelda said quickly and loudly in response to Sidon’s fake enthusiasm, startling everyone at the table. “We recently hired a new chef. I’m so glad he’s living up to our expectations.”

“Oh yes, your chef is doing an excellent job! Send him my praise!”

Their attempts to lighten the mood fell short, however, and the table was silent once again.

Link tried to keep his eyes on his food, but he could see Sidon fidgeting with his own food from across the table. He glanced up and met Sidon’s golden eyes, silently apologizing for bringing him to this terrible dinner. Zelda caught Link’s eye as well and pursed her lips in an apology as well.

“So _Sidon,_ ” Ganon said after a minute, and Sidon glanced over to him, raising an eyebrow. “Zelda told me she ran into you at Link’s yesterday. Didn’t answer her question.”

“Pardon?”

Ganon leaned forward from his seat diagonal to Sidon, and Zelda sent Link a slightly panicked look. “Is it true you’re planning on getting into the family business?”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Sidon answered honestly. “I was planning a trip for Link and I to visit my family and see what I can do about managing at least a portion of it.”

Ganon stared at him for a second, nodding like the answer hadn’t quite pleased him. “You said you were taking Link with you, yes?” Link glued his eyes on Sidon’s hands where they were placed on the table, fidgeting with his fork. He kept them there, trying to see everything else out of his peripheral. 

“If his schedule permits, yes.”

Ganon’s neutral smirk fell off his lips in a heartbeat, and Zelda placed her napkin on the table, whispering Ganon’s name in a not so subtle warning.

“Got you hooked on that money, huh Link?” Ganon asked quickly, and Link tore his gaze from Sidon’s hands and shot up to Ganon’s intense stare.

He shrugged, trying to take this as an opportunity to lighten the mood. He raised his eyebrows and smiled sheepishly, and Sidon chuckled low under his breath, understanding Link’s gesture. Zelda let out a breath as if she’d been holding it, but the three of them didn’t notice that Ganon failed to see the humor in Link’s movement.

“Huh,” the man muttered. “So you’re trying to corrupt him, throwing your money at him. I see the way he follows you around like a puppy,” Ganon hissed, and Sidon’s eyes shot up to him.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re hearing me—you’re tossing Link your scraps!  There’s nothing I hate more than people who pay for friendship—“

Sidon practically threw his fork down on the table, voice steadily rising as he spoke. “Alright, alright let’s talk about how you come from a family of _thieves_ that are _infamous_ for buying their way into friendships—“

“Don’t talk to me as if you know anything about my family—“

“And don’t talk to me as if you know anything about Link!”

The room was silent for a heartbeat before Ganon turned back to Link. “Tell me honestly, did he tell you that he’s a perver—“

Sidon hissed, “ _Excuse me?”_  And Ganon held up a hand towards him, dismissing him immediately. 

“Let me speak,” Ganon commanded, still staring at Link. “Has he told you about what he does? Fucking other men? Paying for their car and then taking them to bed? Buying them a house just so they can fuck in secret?”

Link nearly laughed but instead licked his lips and looked around, moving his hands quickly. _“He’s certainly_ shown _me how he fucks, that’s for sure.”_

Zelda’s eyes went wide and Sidon barked out a shocked laugh, and Ganondorf grew more and more furious by the second. Zelda raised a napkin to her mouth and coughed, eyes full of shock, and Ganon looked at her sharply.

“What did he say?”

“He’d know if he took the time to learn to sign,” Sidon said quietly to Link, and Ganon’s eyes snapped back to him.

“You’re lucky I let you in here in the first place—“

Sidon barked out a laugh and the tense air from before returned before they could recover from Link and Sidon’s quips.

Ganon stared at him for a hard second before looking back between Link and Sidon, his face slowly growing into a snarl. “He makin’ you do anything you don’t want to, Link? Feel like you have to cause he’s payin’ your house off?”

Link was getting tired of Ganon real fast, and he was rolling his eyes when Sidon spoke up.

“Are you accusing me of taking advantage—“

“You know exactly what I’m accusing you of—Link? Answer me.”

Link lifted his hands to sign and Ganon scoffed aloud. “None of that symbol shit either. Say it.”

Like that was going to happen. Link shrugged his shoulders and dropped his hands, pretending to go back to his food like he’d be able to stomach it if he took a bite. As he reached for his fork, Ganon grabbed his wrist and squeezed, and Link looked up in shock, pulling his hand away. 

The table erupted, then, and Sidon stood up slamming his hands on the table, prompting Ganon to let go. Zelda grabbed at Ganon’s hand while Sidon stared down at Ganon, chest heaving.

“Don’t you _touch him,”_ Sidon nearly growled, and Ganon sat back, smiling.

“Mighty possessive for a faggot—“

Sidon swung, effectively knocking the food they’d dined on to the floor, and Link and Zelda hopped up at the same time to get out of the way. Zelda backed away, knowing it’d be unwise to interfere in the fight, but Link surged forward, trying to keep Sidon from lunging again.

Zelda and Ganon’s staff hovered around the room, not sure how to intervene, and Zelda gave instructions to them to quietly leave until this was resolved. “It’s fine, they’ll calm down,” she was saying like a mantra, blue eyes wide.

“I bet you let him do it!” Ganon hissed at Link this time, and Link narrowed his eyes at him. “You let him fuck you right in the _ass_ and I bet you don’t even _want to say anything to stop it.”_ Sidon lurched forward again, only stopping with the knowledge that he would knock Link down if he kept going.

“Oh shut the fuck up,” Link growled out loud, startling everyone in the room to silence. Link snapped his mouth shut, hating the way it ached as he’d spoken and suddenly self conscious at the way his words had wavered in volume. He spun quickly on his heel, using the moment of quiet to grab Sidon’s shoulders and push him out of the room.

“I fucking hate him,” Sidon hissed as they stepped out of the room, and Link nodded in agreement, whispering “I hate him too,” and regretting it when he saw the surprise on Sidon’s face. Even in a whisper his voice was unreliable, but he didn’t let himself think about it.

 _“Let’s go home,”_ he signed to Sidon, who nodded stiffly, glancing into the room to see Zelda pacing in the ruined dining room. Link turned around and Zelda turned to him, shaking her head sadly with tears flowing freely out of her eyes.

“He ruined this!” Zelda nearly shrieked, clenching her small hands while she cried. “I told him to _behave! Link I’m so sorry!”_

Link pursed his lips and looked back at Sidon, who lingered in the hallway looking impatient.

 _“We’ll talk later,”_ Link suggested, and Zelda nodded with a sob, turning to storm into the kitchen, where he guessed Ganon was.

Sidon and Link left the house wordlessly, and when they got to their car Sidon took off his shoes and tossed them into the back seat. Link caught a glimpse of congealed salmon and greens smashed on their smooth surface, and Sidon sighed deeply, releasing the breath he’d been holding.

“That salmon was disgusting. Worst I’ve ever had.”

_“Even worse than your own?”_

Despite everything, the two looked at each other and grinned.

~X~

The night drive was tense. The night closed in on them as they sped through the night, stars swirling above them in a way that unsettled Link. The moon was absent from the sky, making the road outside of the reach of their headlights thick with unknown shapes.

The night air failed to ease Link’s anxious body like it usually did, and Link searched desperately in silence for the source of his uneasiness. He told himself it was Sidon’s reckless driving, but even earlier in the day Link had felt a rush of excitement while he watched the world outside zip by.

Now, there was just the feeling of foreboding.

And while Link felt his body go slack with long awaited relaxation despite his unease, Sidon stayed aggravated, and his irritation was greater than it was earlier that night. Link tried his best to calm him and tried his best to remind Sidon that Ganon was just an asshole, and there was no changing that.

Still, Sidon kept looking at Link’s wrist as if he was looking for any hint of an injury, any reason to storm back into Ganon’s house and injure him.

Sidon drove fast, but one of his hands was distractedly stroking Link’s hair after Link curled up in the room left in the long front seat. Link let his eyes close under the ministrations, but not before taking in the vibrant colors of a city still awake as they drove through.

The car jerked forward and Link heard a high pitched squeal, like someone was screaming… and Link found himself on the floor of the car in the blink of an eye while Sidon slammed on the brakes, and he was… confused. Had he been airborne?

His head was ringing, and there was pain blossoming from a spot on his forehead… what happened?

Sidon’s voice sounded far away, and Link had trouble focusing on the hands that pulled him from the floor. There were a bunch of people around him, he realized, but he couldn’t tell who was talking when. There were lights around, but they were fuzzy and ran together… and his head _hurt._

“Link, how are you feeling,” he heard Sidon say suddenly, and he tried to blink through the fog to see him. He tried to get his fingers to find the position for “pain” but his hands were trembling so much, he couldn’t manage to even lift them. The people were still around them, and suddenly Sidon was gone and on his right side.

_“Why were you driving like that?”_

Link’s head swam, and he felt the need to tell them something important…

_“Clean that deer up, it’s good as roadkill.”_

Sidon’s golden eyes were peering into his own, and Link could see his mouth move… “I’m fine,” Link heard himself whisper quickly, and he sat up straighter, trying to orient himself. His head… _ached._

_“He’s concussed. Clean the glass out of his hair.”_

There were so many phrases that stuck out from around him, but between the pain in his head and the shock, Link didn’t think he wanted to fight the oncoming sleep, even as Sidon begged him to stay awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was supposed to be a joke but I'm taking it seriously and abandoning my responsibilities. But it's what I needed to give myself ideas for Memories of the Past, which is about to take the darkest turn ever, so I can't complain. I hope yall arent too mad at me for being a mess. 
> 
> That dinner scene turned out to be one of my fav scenes to write, but I feel like I could've made everyone's reactions more dramatic. Oh well. The regularly scheduled sidlink will be back in the next two chapters if I can control myself and not turn this into a 20 chapter novel. 
> 
> Next chapter: Heart's a Mess


	3. Heart's A Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like lips tracing trails down his spine and fingers digging into his hips, doubt consumed him. It twisted inside of him like a mockery of pleasure, turning his body into a vessel of guilt. He would open his eyes to sharp teeth dragging him deeper and deeper into it; he would close his eyes to cold breath in his ear. 
> 
> To open his eyes was to feel his back go crashing through the floor, time and time again, until he reached the bottom of that realization. 
> 
> He didn’t love him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I went there. I played the pronoun game and y’all get to guess who’s talking about who. 
> 
> Is this the fastest I’ve ever written a story? Yes. I'm in wayy too deep now.
> 
> Ok I wasn’t expecting the amount of positive feedback like I was up at 5:30 am reading comments and just feelin that happiness y’all don’t know how happy I am ‘cause of you guys tysm. SO to repay you guys I give you the angst chapter.  
> I’m so sorry. 
> 
> Also I added a Major Character Death warning for good measure. But that doesn’t happen until the next chapter. While everything that can go wrong will go wrong, just don’t lose sight of that one teeny tag that says Happy Ending. You will get a happy ending. And then some. Don’t lose sight of the light. But hey, we get Sidon’s pov so hopefully I won’t be too hated when this is over. Ok everyone strapped in?

Sidon was letting guilt run over him like he’d run over that deer. The guilt was slamming his mind to a halt and sending his emotions rolling over the back of the truck, injuring the contents of his mind-car.

He’d been aggravated while driving, thinking too deeply about things that shouldn’t have mattered, thinking too deeply about ideas he’d let someone else _plant_ into his mind.

Yes, Ganondorf was an asshole… but he was right. Or was he? Sidon wasn’t so sure anymore.

From any outside perspective, Ganondorf was right. Sidon was buying his way to Link’s heart, and… it wasn’t real.

Through trinkets and trips, through a glimpse of luxury, Sidon tried his best to tell himself that he _hadn’t_ paid Link’s way into his bed, but… he had.

He’d thrown giant, fanciful parties with the hopes that Link would wander in one day! The lavish life was there, laid out all over the ground, just like Sidon’s heart and he’d used it as a lure. He was _selfish._

Would he have said no, if he was in Link’s position? A rich man approaches him, tells him everything that he wants is his? Would he have said no and gone back to his humble home?

Would he have said no to the endless buffet of whatever food he’d wanted to eat, right there in his lap? Would he have said no to a free trip to anywhere in the world? He wouldn’t have.

There was no doubt that he was in love with Link, but he felt like a fraud. Would Link still love him if he had nothing, if he didn’t have the glamour that came with filthy wealth?

Did Link know that he loved him? Or did Link draw the logical conclusion that he was paying Link for sex and companionship?

Ganon had shown Sidon what it looked like, and it made him sick to his stomach.

And then he’d only made one teeny mistake that could have _killed the love of his life._

He’d let Ganon get in his head, made him question everything that was the perfection of their relationship, and he’d driven like a maniac and hit a deer and _sent Link flying to the floor of the car._ But not before _knocking him out_ by way of dashboard collision.

He felt like he’d dragged Link into his life, flinging him about the endless turntable of his life with reckless abandon. This wasn’t another party; this wasn’t an endless night. This involved someone’s life, someone’s feelings, and Sidon—

Link stirred from his place beside Sidon in bed and Sidon checked the clock, hand reaching for Link’s shoulder. He’d been waking Link up every hour, making sure he was okay after they’d forgone the hospital and returned home. Link had woken up a few minutes after the crash, lucid enough to tell them that he would be fine, though Sidon wasn’t too sure about that when Link immediately passed out again upon entering Sidon’s house.

Sidon already knew that Link was a heavy sleeper, but it was still very concerning to see the groggy man peel his eyes open only to go directly back to sleep. It was nearing sunrise though, and Sidon knew that Link would be fully awake soon enough.

His hand was back to its usual fidgeting, finding its way into Link’s blond locks, and Link grumbled in response, curling his body closer to him. With great reluctance… Sidon removed his hand and stood from the bed, letting his eyes linger on Link’s sleeping form.

“Master Sidon,” he heard one of the chefs say from behind him, and he turned quickly, unaware that someone was in the house this early. “Would like you like me to begin breakfast?”

Sidon’s tired mind hit overdrive to try to register what the man was asking him… breakfast… “If you want to…?” It was barely five am what was this man doing offering to cook breakfast?

“Is there anything you’d like me to cook?”

Sidon thought for a moment, trying to force his lagging brain to catch up. “I… haven’t had good salmon in a good minute. Do you mind cooking that for breakfast? I know that this is an odd request.”

“I’ll have someone retrieve your salmon. Thank you Master Sidon.”

“No, thank you Chef…” Sidon squinted at him in the darkness. “Rivan. I’m not sure what Link would like to eat, however.”

“Master Link is usually never picky about what we prepare, sir.”

Sidon laughed at that and grinned at Rivan’s tone, and the chef offered him a smile in return. “That is very true, Rivan. Thank you very much.”

The chef nodded to him and walked off, and Sidon ran his hand across his eyes, heading to his seldom used study. There were no windows, only a light, and Sidon left if off as he sat down in the chair in the corner of the room, leaning his head against the soft fabric.

He needed to forget about Ganondorf.

Sidon hoped that Link would know that this wasn’t just for sex. He was taking him to meet his family for goddesses sake. Ganondorf knew nothing about that. Ganondorf knew nothing about them.

Reaching over to turn the lamp on, Sidon decided that he’d get some work done before he’d have to go back upstairs and wake Link.

First, he set to sorting through the many letters he’d received from his father’s current successor, Bazz. He was all business, and Sidon set to writing him back, explaining his plans to visit to sort out the business. Once upon a time Sidon had an idea of what he good he could do through the business, how he could use his excess to help others. Once upon a time.

Sidon didn’t realize how much time passed until he heard a soft knock on the doorframe and turned to see Link, looking a little worse for wear.

“How are you feeling?” Sidon asked quickly, setting his pen down and standing to meet Link. Link held his hand flat and shook it before signing, _“fine.”_

Sidon let his gaze linger on the giant bruise blossoming on Link’s forehead, peeking out from under his bangs, and sighed, leaning down to give Link a kiss. Link stood up on his toes to receive it, and the gesture sent a flutter of happiness through Sidon’s body.

“Link,” Sidon whispered, letting his hand slip to Link’s chin. He felt… terrible, gazing upon Link’s battered face and seeing his hazy blue eyes gaze back. He did this. “Let me express how sorry I am. It’s my—“

 _“It’s not your fault,”_ Link brought his hands up quickly. _“You couldn’t have seen that deer. It was dark.”_

“If I was going the speed limit—“

_“The deer would’ve still been there, and I still would’ve been sitting in the seat wrong. It’s no one’s fault.”_

Sidon would never tell Link, but he wasn’t too great at sign language. He watched as Link’s hands moved at lightning speed, trying to process the gestures while they happened. The fact that he hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours didn’t help, and when Link finished gesturing, Sidon had to think for an extra second to make sure he understood Link correctly.

He gave Link a sad smile in response, and Link reached a hand up to his face, forcing him to look into Link’s endless, _bottomless_ blue eyes. “Hey,” Link whispered quietly to get Sidon’s attention, and _oh_ Sidon couldn’t get enough of that elusive voice. He’d only heard Link speak a few times, and his voice was full of secrets, full of promises Sidon would let himself drown in.

 _“Are you alright?”_ Sidon nearly laughed. Link was the injured one, and he was asking Sidon if he was alright?

“I’m alright, love,” he replied quickly, and Link nodded, reaching up for another kiss when someone entered the doorway behind them.

“Master Sidon,” one of the housekeepers said quietly, and Sidon recognized her as Chef Rivan’s daughter.

“Yes, Dunma?”

“You have a phone call. The caller is refusing to disclose their identity.”

Sidon rolled his eyes and Link and Sidon followed Dunma down the winding halls and into a room beside the kitchen, where the kitchen staff were preparing the fresh caught salmon.

Sidon picked up the phone and Dunma walked off, leaving Link to peer into the kitchen after the bustling chefs.

“Hello?”

“Sidon,” a voice drifted over the line, and Sidon felt every muscle in his body tense before he’d even recognized who was speaking.

“Yes?”

“It’s Zelda.” Of course. He watched Link as he wandered into the kitchen, and the staff welcomed him excitedly. They loved his natural skill for cooking, and they enjoyed having him in the kitchen. It brought a smile to Sidon’s face.

“Link is alright,” he said, before she could continue. She must have heard about the accident. It had happened close to where she lived.

“I heard that he was doing fine from my sources,” she said, and Sidon resented her casual tone. “That’s not why I was calling.”

Sidon’s eyes narrowed. What reason would she be calling, then, if Link’s wellbeing wasn’t something that worried her? Anger shot through him like a hot arrow sending its flames straight to the pits of his stomach. He turned away from the kitchen entrance, scowling as he responded. “Then why are you calling?” Sidon’s voice fell flat at the end, turning his question into a dry statement.

“I wanted to… I wanted to first apologize for last night.”

Sidon scowled. He didn’t want to talk to Zelda. After he’d recovered from the initial shock of learning that she was indeed Link’s cousin, he’d decided that he would stay as far away from of her as possible. There were nothing but bad memories that surrounded her, and Sidon had no desire to dredge them up from their tombs.

“And…” Sidon reached to hang the phone up while she spoke, but paused before he could finish removing it from his ear. “I miss you.”

~X~

Link wasn’t imagining the sheer amount of agitation he was feeling from Sidon. He wanted nothing more to be able to discern the source, but he… couldn’t. Sidon had been upset even before they’d left to go to dinner with Zelda and Ganon… he’d been upset since he’d left Link’s house, fleeing from Zelda.

When Link finally departed from the kitchen staff, all of whom he’d made friends with, he found Sidon leaning against the wall near the phone, golden eyes staring at something Link couldn’t see.

He placed his hand on Sidon’s shoulder and the man honestly _flinched_ out of his thoughts.

Link narrowed his eyes.

 _“What’s wrong?”_ Link watched Sidon’s face carefully while he asked, and Sidon shook his head.

“It’s nothing I want to concern you with, love.” Sidon had told him that already, and Link watched as he noticed. “I don’t mean to ignore your concerns. I just… I have to work through this on my own.”

_“You don’t have to.”_

He didn’t imagine the look that crossed over Sidon’s face, but he wished he’d imagined it. It was pain, through and through, and there was an intensity that scared Link in a way he’d never felt before. Sidon took a step back from him and turned back towards the study, and Link decided not to follow him.

“I… Link I don’t want to worry you with this. I fear you’ll be… upset with me.”

 _“I’m about to be upset that you don’t want me to help you,”_ Link signed back, and one side of Sidon’s mouth quirked up at Link’s inevitable sass, but his smile didn’t come close to reaching his eyes. Or anywhere else on his face.

Instead of responding, Sidon worked at whatever words seemed to be sitting within his mouth before closing it completely and leveling Link with a sad stare. And… it made Link’s heart hurt. Sidon was battling something alone, and he didn’t trust Link to take up arms and fight alongside him.

 _“I miss you,”_ Link signed in a last ditch effort, but Sidon’s face only twisted further and he shook his head in response. 

Link felt his heart constrict. Sidon moved towards him, gathering him in his arms, but Link only felt the echo of Sidon’s rejection.

“I never left,” Sidon whispered in his ear, and he shook his head, feeling his hair brush against the side of Sidon’s face.

“Yes you did,” Link whispered back, and Sidon squeezed him tighter. Link was content to stay like that, as unrealistic as that would be, but instead found himself lounging in Sidon’s study while Sidon wrote letter upon letter.

Breakfast came and went, as did lunch, and Link found himself not really seeing any of the words he’d read in the book he’d pulled from the shelf.

“I’ve found myself terribly estranged from my family,” Sidon explained while he led them in. “I must confess that I lied to you the other day. I do not know how they will respond to my bringing you home… but, they will have no choice but to accept it.” Sidon’s voice lacked its usual energy, and Link noticed that he just sounded tired.

“Hey,” Link said aloud to grab Sidon’s attention. _“How much sleep did you get last night?”_

“I wanted to make sure you were truly alright,” Sidon responded, dodging Link’s question and effectively giving Link the answer he needed. He hopped out of the chair and sat his hand on Sidon’s shoulder, looking at the paperwork on the desk in front of him.

 _“You should rest,”_ Link punched out urgently, and Sidon shook his head.

“If I sleep now, I’ll be awake all hours of the night.”

 _“At least relax,”_ Link replied, and Sidon turned in his chair fully to put his hands on Link’s waist, smiling deviously.

“And how do you suggest I do that?”

Link only hummed in response, taking this moment to hop up into Sidon’s lap, and Sidon scrambled as the small chair tipped while they were in it, dumping them both the floor. Link laughed at Sidon’s indignant expression and continued his agenda, crawling over Sidon and trapping his lips in his own.

“You’re persistent,” Sidon gasped while Link kissed him, and Link hummed against Sidon’s neck, adequately distracting him while he worked on unbuttoning Sidon’s shirt. He’d changed his clothes since the other night, Link noted, but he still smelled like the faint floral air of Zelda’s house.

“We can’t do this on the floor,” Sidon said, pushing Link away slightly but shivering at his touch.

“Why not?” Link whispered back, and Sidon shivered again… but, he was fighting it, for some reason Link couldn’t possibly figure out.

Link pulled away from Sidon to scan his face, and Sidon looked back up at him with tired eyes. He was biting his lip, and his face still held that hesitant expression when he said, “I’m just too tired, love.”

Link nodded and hopped up, extending his hand to help the tall man off of the ground, and walked him to the bedroom, lingering at the door before turning to leave. Link felt like… he wasn’t welcome back in Sidon’s bed and while some part of his mind told him that the assumption was ridiculous, another part of his mind told him that there was no other conclusion to be drawn.

When he turned to leave, however, Sidon’s hand grabbed one of his own, pulling him into another kiss.

“Stay with me, love?” And Link nodded, trying with his whole heart to drive out the uncertainty that planted itself in his head.

~X~

Link found himself waking up the next morning, and while he was confused… he let himself sink into the soft sheets in bliss, rolling around in the empty bed and reveling in the echo of Sidon’s soft touches on his skin from that night. After a brief nap, Link remembered, he’d gotten what he’d originally set out to get in Sidon’s office, and he smiled softly to himself.

When he rolled over and scanned the room for Sidon, trying to peer into the bathroom from his spot and finding that it was empty.

Link vaguely recalled one Sidon’s staff knocking gently on the door, “Master Sidon, there is someone here to see you.”

And Sidon went, leaving gentle kisses on Link’s neck as he groggily returned to sleep.

Link stood, feeling unsteady on his legs, and grabbed one of Sidon’s giant robes from the bathroom, wrapping it around himself before making his way out of the room and across the balcony overlooking the foyer. His head still vaguely ached, as he’d accidentally crashed his bruised forehead into Sidon’s during a position shift, and he smiled again, remembering the ridiculousness of that moment.

There were voices carrying through the house, Link noticed then, but their hushed echoes didn’t carry the words, only the sounds, and Link caught himself straining to make out what they were saying.

As Link rounded the corner, he looked over the balcony… and saw Zelda and Sidon standing together. From his place, Link could see Zelda’s red face over Sidon’s shoulder, and as he watched Zelda took a step towards the man, hissing lowly at him. Link narrowed his eyes and walked closer to the edge of the balcony, not trying to hide the fact that he was listening in.

Sidon’s replies were still concealed from Link’s ears, but Zelda raised her voice enough for Link to hear her say, “You still love me!” Before she surged up to wrap her arms around Sidon’s neck.

She kissed him. And when she did, Sidon didn’t pull away. Link watched as Sidon’s hands… lifted, from their place at his sides, and Link watched as Zelda’s delicate hands traced over the small bruise Link had left on Sidon’s shoulder just last night.

He looked away until he sensed rather than saw them move away from each other.

When Zelda pulled away from Sidon, and her eyes opened and glanced up, Link hoped he didn’t imagine the surprise that shot across her face, and Link hoped she saw that betrayal that was written across his.

He turned, quickly, and he was numb when he went back upstairs and dropped his robe, crawling naked back into the bed before he realized what he was doing. He needed to get up… but he couldn’t bring himself to. It was like he was following instinct, and instinct told him to lie in bed.

There was a deep pain throbbing in his chest, and he knew that the longer he lay in the bed staring up at the endless ceiling, the more the pain would reach to consume him.

He was with _Zelda._ Sidon was with _Zelda._

Link got up, finding the clothes he’d surrendered to the ground, and pulled them on, moving quickly and efficiently, biting his lips in an attempt to keep the thick pain from rising up his throat.

Of course this wasn’t… _love._ Link hadn’t missed the way Sidon had acted around Zelda, avoiding her stares and shrinking in on himself. If Sidon didn’t know Zelda, then her gaze shouldn’t have been able to turn Sidon’s vibrancy into a dull husk.

If Sidon didn’t know Zelda, _she wouldn’t be standing in the foyer._ If Sidon didn’t know Zelda, he wouldn’t be _kissing_ her while Link slept peacefully upstairs.  

If Link would’ve known this earlier, he wouldn’t have let Sidon whisper to him, he wouldn’t have let Sidon kiss him or lay him down on the vast bed that always captivated Link when he laid eyes on it. He supposed this explained Sidon’s strange behavior. It explained every bit of strange behavior, from the moment Sidon spotted Zelda sitting in his living room.

Link’s legs were barely willing to carry him to the doorway and towards the hall that looked out over the sea. He had to… leave. And maybe he’d ask Zelda why she’d let this happen _._ And maybe he’d get answers out of her and maybe he’d be able to rest his head without any soft thoughts for the man whose bed he’d just left.

He wouldn’t have to think about the man he barely knew but loved anyway.

Link told himself that Sidon’s shock… it was the shock of a man finding his mistress and his lover in the same room, and trying desperately not to let his lover know what was actually happening. Link’s stomach churned with all of the scenarios that ran through his mind.

It turned the smell of Sidon around him into a bitter, caustic thing.

Sidon’s house was empty and quiet when Link found his way back downstairs, his shoes tapping quietly to echo back to him, like the voices that sang through the house on those lively nights.

As Link approached the front door, he heard the loud tapping of bare feet rushing towards him, and he turned around, subdued, to meet Sidon.

His golden eyes were wide and confused, and Link nearly laughed at the act. He’d figured out, he knew Sidon’s tricks.

_I’m leaving._

“Do you have somewhere to be, dear Link? I was going to have the cooks prepare you a lovely breakfast, why-“

 _I’m leaving,_ Link spelled out again, and Sidon stopped, watching him.

“You’re… leaving?” Link felt a twinge of pain when he saw the heartbreak cross Sidon’s face, but he had to remind himself that the expression was not genuine… or, maybe it was. He was upset to be found out. He was upset that his scheme wouldn’t work. “Oh, I’m sorry you have to leave so soon. I expect that I’ll see you tonight?”

_I’m leaving you._

Sidon’s hands froze in their journey towards Link’s, his golden eyes growing even wider and his face growing more and more confused. “Link, what is this about?”

 _You know._ Link turned to leave, but Sidon grabbed both of his hands and held them, just like he’d done on the night they’d met. Link tried to pull them away, but Sidon gripped on tightly and searched Link’s eyes. _I saw._

Sidon looked like Link’s words had physically hurt him, and he gaped for a moment. “Link… that isn’t what was happening” he took a step towards Link and flinched visibly when Link took a step back. “I didn’t… _no…”_

Link lifted his hands between them again, and Sidon crumbled. _I’m leaving._

“Link, please don’t, let me explain—“ Sidon grasped Link’s hands in his own and began to kneel at Link’s feet, looking up with pleading golden eyes.

 “Link, this is a misunderstanding,” Sidon said lowly, and the quietness of his voice nearly startled Link into motion. Nearly. When he did let his face move, he let it move further and further into a feigned disinterest.

 “Listen, yes, I knew her—“ Link took a step back and Sidon scrambled after him. “We, we knew each other long ago, before I moved here and before she was married and she thought that—“

Link snatched his hands away and Sidon choked on a sob, trying to grab Link’s hands again, but Link held them away and shook his head, his face a picture of the pain that broke through the stoicism that he’d tried so hard to keep.

“I love you, Link, I love you and what happened between me and Zelda is in the past. And I had to let her _know that—_ ” Sidon was saying quickly while Link backed away, his shoes tapping loudly on the polished floors on Sidon’s _castle._ His heart _hurt_ , but he couldn’t let himself listen to Sidon’s lies, not again.

And as hard as it was to ignore the smooth voice he’d fallen in love with, the voice that made him feel _loved_ , Link turned on his heel and hurried out of the foyer, leaving Sidon alone in the vast house he’d built for himself.

For Link, the polished cobblestone of Sidon’s manor was nothing more than a swamp, sucking his feet into the ground with each step until he was on his knees in front of the house, his head in his hands and his body a mirror of the man he’d left alone.

~X~

Link didn’t remember too much of it, but he knew that he’d peeled himself from the floor in front of Sidon’s eventually, and made his way back to his house. He locked all of the locks on the door and closed his blinds tightly, kicking off his shoes into the living room and heading to his bathroom to wash off every bit of Sidon that still stuck to his skin.

The betrayal was _strong_ , and Link figured that maybe he could’ve figured how to stay and listen to Sidon’s excuses if he hadn’t seen Sidon _let_ Zelda kiss him the way she did, with her arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers tangled in his long hair.

While he showered, he thought of the way Sidon knelt at his feet, his hands holding Link’s tightly, a vice of fear, like if he let go of them he would go tumbling into the ground and out of Link’s reach.

Link was not going to let himself cry.

Maybe he should have stayed and listened, Link thought as Sidon’s words ran through his mind, “What happened between me and Zelda is in the past,” and… Sidon had to let her know that.

When Link stepped out of the shower, he heard a violent knocking on his front door and chose to ignore it. It was either one of two people, and Link didn’t want to see either.

“Link, _please!”_ Zelda’s voice carried through the wood between the rough knocking, shrill and hoarse. “Link please open the door, please!”

If she was dying, Link figured, she could just have her driver take her to the hospital.

Link went in his bedroom and closed the door until the knocking ended. Outside, it was starting to rain.

Hours passed with Link lying in bed, staring at his ceiling and trying to clear his mind before he got up, throwing on a coat and walking to the door. He had to go to the bank and check his finances. Maybe, if he had enough, he’d be able to move back to Hateno with minimal losses. He could return to his job there. None of the jobs here were any better than the one he’d left.

As Link looked for his shoes, his phone began to ring, and he stared at it for a moment before realizing that the only person who had his number was Zelda, so he took the phone off of the receiver and replaced it, effectively ending the call, and went back to preparing to leave.

When he opened the door, there was Sidon, soaked in rain and hunched in the doorway. He was a pathetic sight, this tall man seemingly smaller than Link as he pleaded with his bright golden eyes.

Link fought the sudden urge he had to close the door and go back in his room.

Sidon’s long hair was plastered all around his head and on his face and he looked up at Link with pleading golden eyes.

“Link let me explain,” Sidon said quietly, and Link relented before his judgment could kick in and tell him to not. When Sidon saw that Link wasn’t going to throw him out, his eyes brightened a fraction and Link turned around quickly, leading him into the house before he could change his mind.

They’d spent many nights together in Link’s small abode, and Sidon’s favorite spot was on the love seat by the door. He kicked off his muddy shoes and stood around awkwardly in the living room, looking huge in the small room and staring at the love seat, afraid to sit.

Link turned to Sidon and crossed his arms when he felt his hands begin to tremble. Sidon looked up from the floor and grounded Link with his steady gaze.

“Yes, Zelda and I were in love,” Sidon said quietly, not looking away from Link’s eyes. “We… we were going to be wed until she realized that I could offer her no stability. She was rich and I… I’d thrown away my wealth for a life of adventure. I had to decide, then, if my love for Zelda was more than my wanderlust,” Sidon glanced down, then, and took a deep breath. “It wasn’t. I was selfish, but I… I gave her up when I heard she’d married a man named Ganondorf. He’s from the Gerudo royal family, so I knew that she found someone who had the money I could not offer. I did not know that she hadn’t given me up.”

Link listened to his tale quietly, feeling the regret that sang in each of Sidon’s words.

“She… I did not know that she was your cousin until you said that she was married to Ganondorf. I… I told her to leave – I told her that she would never be welcome in my presence, nor yours.”

Link didn’t know of all the words exchanged between Sidon and Zelda, how he’d snarled at Zelda to leave and never show her face again, how Sidon had fumed in the kitchen, pacing in circles before hearing Link descend the stairs.

“I understand if you will not see me again,” Sidon said quietly. “I should have not let her get to me. I’m sorry for betraying your trust, dear Link.” Link bit his lips, feeling something well up in his exhausted chest, and he almost couldn’t bear it when he saw Sidon turn to leave.

Link was not going to let himself cry.

“Stay,” Link mumbled, and his voice was quiet but firm and the word felt unfamiliar on his long forgotten tongue. He surprised himself, and bit his lips again as soon as the word left his lips.

The muscles in Sidon’s back tensed through his soaked shirt and he spun around to look at Link with wide eyes.

  _“She said that you didn’t know her.”_

“I guess… I guess I don’t, not really,” Sidon said quietly. “I don’t know who she is, now. But I know that I hate who she’s become.”

Link nodded, trying to avoid Sidon’s golden stare. The silence in the room reminded him of when Sidon and Zelda stared at each other, like a predator sizing up its prey, and Link could barely stand it.

He stormed into the kitchen and leaned against the counter while Sidon lingered in his living room, dripping rain water all over his carpet, and put his head heavily in his hands, feeling his chest heave and his eyes burn.

He was not going to let himself cry.

He stalked quickly down the hall and snagged a few towels from the linen closet before leading himself back to the living room. He handed the towels to Sidon quickly and took a seat on his longer sofa, gesturing for Sidon to have a seat despite his current soaked state.

“I let what Ganon said to us get to me, and it… it ate me up. I couldn’t stop telling myself that I’d bought my way into your heart, and...” Link looked up at Sidon and he quickly waved his hands, trying to clear up something he’d said. Link understood what he’d meant, but Sidon felt the need to clarify. “I felt like I was a fraud. I pushed you away because I felt that I didn’t deserve you.”

Link was _not_ going to let himself cry.

“And then here comes Zelda, storming into my house and _telling me that she put him up to it,”_ Link looked up quickly, mouth parting, _“_ and I was in shock. I didn’t know who I hated more, in that moment, Zelda or her husband.”

“What?” Link whispered, and Sidon leveled him with a serious gaze, and Link could see the anger brewing behind the sadness.

“She wanted to know if I still loved her. And when I denied it, she explained that she thought I would need _encouragement_ to admit it.” Link’s brows pulled together, his whole face morphing into something… fearful? He didn’t know what he was feeling, and he didn’t know if he should believe Sidon.

But Sidon was always so open, and he was open now. Zelda was like a book hidden away in a broken castle, secrets hidden and burned in a dark place.

Sidon wasn’t lying to him.

“What else did she do?” Link heard himself whispering, and Sidon hung his head.

“She called. Yesterday morning, I was so _angry_. She called, blew off your injury like it was nothing to her and I… I was incensed.” Link nodded quietly, feeling his eyes burn.

The idea the Zelda would… it was still farfetched to him but the more he thought about it the more it made sense… and the more Sidon’s story made sense as well.

Perhaps he could interpret Sidon’s behavior as that of a cheater caught in the act… and that explained the tension that existed between Ganon and Sidon the moment they saw each other. But that didn’t explain Zelda’s sudden interest in him.

He’d gone to visit her when he’d moved to town, and he and Zelda had never been close. But when she’d found out that he lived next to Sidon, hell, practically lived _with_ him, she’d grown bitter.

He realized that the dryness in her voice when she’d dismissed him wasn’t boredom or tiredness… it was her own brand of anger.

They sat in silence for a moment, and Link worked his way through his thoughts. It… it didn’t make sense for Sidon to lie to him at this point, and I made every bit of sense for Zelda to have done what she did. The way Ganon kept hounding the topic of their relationship, when on a normal basis Ganon could barely keep one strand of conversation going.

It had to have been Zelda.

Link looked up at Sidon, who was staring sadly at the puddle he was making on the floor, and he felt his eyes burn until they were relieved by the cold touch of tears. They rolled down his face in droves before he could stop them, and Sidon looked up when he saw Link move to wipe them away.

Sidon knelt on the floor in front of Link, using his slightly dryer hand to brush the tears from Link’s face, and Link let him, leaning into the touch.

“Link, I love you,” Sidon said to him, his golden eyes boring into his soul. His hands were soft on Link’s face, and Link felt more tears force their way to the surface. “I love you, and I… I would do anything for you. I didn’t know what to do to tell you, and if—“

Link shook his head to get Sidon to stop. There was no way he was going to let Sidon believe that he was with Sidon because of the parties, or the food, or the money. He was with Sidon for Sidon alone, and Link blinked to clear his eyes. He leaned his head forward, feeling his forehead press against Sidon’s and ignoring the throb of pressure on his bruise.

He let his blue eyes scan Sidon’s deep golden ones, and he waited until his tears stopped flowing before he reached up to place his hands over Sidon’s own.

“Sidon,” he said, and Sidon’s very skin seemed to heat up under his own as he spoke. “I love you more than anything.”

And Sidon surged up to gather him in a hug, letting the cold rain water seep through his clothes, and it warmed between their bodies while they embraced.

They were warm against the cold outside, and behind the sounds of their beating hearts and soft whispers, Link could hear the phone ringing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so, to further explain how the last chapter was an accident, I was going to go straight from chapter 1 to the whole dramatic Zelda Sidon thing with a little bit of lead up to it. But then I was like “What if a fight happens.” And I didn’t know where to put that. And this chapter was not meant to be like this I promise, but then I was like “what if their relationship gets ruined by next level miscommunication” and the last chapter made it easier to do that, so…. Here we are. 
> 
> If she was dying, Link figured, she could just have her driver take her to the hospital. I didn’t think I had this level of sass in me. I’m cracking myself up. 
> 
> Next chapter: Together


	4. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was no way to describe the feeling building in his gut, but he was sure it was more than love, more than anything he’d ever felt before. It was stronger, and Link was sure he never wanted to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I know what I want to do with this story but I don’t know how to write it so I’m just dragging along… sorry for the wait! I’m back to my old ways! Being late all the time! Sorry in advance for everything that is Zelda. I’m a mess.

Like bullets fired free, wielded by that loose handed evil, pleasure flowed through his body… more freely than the alcohol at Sidon’s parties, and he let it move him, change him. He let it free his voice so that his gasps and moans turned the room into their own personal moment.

His moans echoed off of each surface of his humble abode and the cold floor pressed into his ass like cold hands, the smooth surface gliding easily over his sweat slicked skin.

First in the living room, then the kitchen, and finally in Link’s small, warm room, Sidon made him melt until his vision spun in spirals of red hair and smooth skin, turning him into a shaking, shivering shell of himself.

Link’s hands found themselves, once again, plastered in Sidon’s hair, pulling while the man’s face disappeared between his thighs. He was ready to orgasm, every bone in his body working towards the purpose of seeking _release_ , but Sidon wouldn’t let him.

He was taking his time ravaging Link’s body, his tongue dipping in and out of his already throbbing hole before returning to lick stripes up the bottom of his cock, cool breath making him shiver and cry out.

This was no apology, Link had decided when he’d realized Sidon’s agenda. This was torture in its purest form. From the puddle of precum on his stomach to the way his back seemed to twitch in anticipation whenever Sidon so much as breathed on his cock, Link was _ruined. And he hadn’t even come yet_.

By this point, the sun had probably gone down and Sidon was _not stopping¸_ his slow progress driving Link insane. He took Link’s cock in his hand, stroking it until Link was throwing his head back against the pillows behind him, gasping wordlessly for release… only for Sidon to let go and move on to examine another part of him. It was excruciatingly pleasurable.

Link gasped when he felt Sidon’s fingers teasing his hole again, entering with ease as he kissed his way up Link’s chest, his tongue darting out over Link’s nipples before moving to bite at Link’s neck. His fingers stretched him like they’d done earlier that evening, and Link leaned into them, sighing as Sidon quickened his pace and added a third. Link knew that his body was nothing short of filthy as he writhed on Sidon’s hand, but he accepted Sidon’s kiss readily, trying his best to suck a bruise into the soft skin of his neck.

Sidon’s cock bumped against Link’s thigh, causing Link’s body to jolt in surprise, and Sidon chuckled deep in his ear before his solid cock went to rest beside Link’s. For a moment, Sidon seemed to lose himself, seeking the friction of Link’s sweaty skin and slick thighs, and Link tried his best to convince Sidon to keep going, to fuck him and let him have that sweet release… but Sidon stopped seeking his own pleasure and returned to Link, chuckling when Link let out an exasperated groan.

Link was… tired. He brushed his hand against Sidon’s face to grab his attention, and when his lover looked up he heaved a sigh and mouthed _“Tired,”_ to him. Instantly, Sidon’s face twisted towards worry, and he pulled himself up to look Link in the eye.

“What’s wrong, love?” Sidon’s hands stopped their ministrations, much to Link’s disdain, and his relatively clean hand brushed some of the sweat from Link’s cheek. “Are you in pain?”

Link glared at him. He’d spent all afternoon turning Link into a _puddle_ , and he had the nerve to ask what was wrong? Sidon scanned his face, eyes lingering on the bruise on his forehead for a moment before returning to Link’s eyes. “Love?” Link glared harder, biting his lip as he rolled his hips once more into Sidon and watched as realization dawned across Sidon’s face. That infuriating grin returned almost instantly and Link hoped for the best when Sidon kissed him quickly, letting his cock go back to its place beside Link’s.

“Soon, dear Link,” Sidon said quietly in his ear, biting the lobe as he passed it and sending a violent shiver down Link’s spine. He sighed in relief when Sidon positioned himself above Link, cock poking at Link’s starved hole.

Unlike their first time together, Link felt no pain as Sidon slid in him with a sigh, since he’d had more than enough preparation, and he hissed when Sidon immediately found his prostate and rocked against it before his hips met Link’s.

Link couldn’t control the moan that left him, gasping and reaching to pull Sidon as close to him as possible, and Sidon complied, hugging Link closer until their bodies were completely touching, and Link rocked his hips between them, trying to gain friction from Sidon’s chiseled stomach. He always did this, and he hoped that Sidon knew that it meant he was getting impatient.

Sidon caught his lips in one quick motion, and Link kissed him back with whatever coordination his wrecked body could manage. He bit at Sidon’s lip when Sidon started moving, sliding into him slowly, dragging the tip of his cock across Link’s prostate gently, and it despite the slow pace, everything that Sidon had done to him was slowly becoming too much. He felt himself trying to pull Sidon even closer, lifting his legs to wrap around the back of Sidon’s thighs and _squeezing_ until he saw Sidon’s eyes slam shut and his head arch away in pleasure.

Link pressed his fingers into Sidon’s back like he was holding on for dear life, his whole body responding with each one of Sidon’s slow thrusts, and he found his own eyes closed, his mouth moving with whatever words came to the front of his mind.

“Sidon,” Link gasped loudly, shocking both of them into a slightly more rushed pace. Sidon, despite how careful he was being, ran the tip of his cock directly into Link’s prostate, and Link nearly cried. “Sidon!”

Sidon’s pace stuttered, and he hunched his back, every muscle tensing while he returned to a steady pace, though it was more urgent than before. He was _finally_ fucking Link, and Link let himself sink into the mattress, throat aching while he moaned encouragement for Sidon, who groaned loudly in response.

Link forced his own eyes open again, blinking quickly while he tried to focus on _anything_ that would give him release, and he unfolded his legs from their place on Sidon to spread them on the bed, using this newfound leverage to rock his hips up with Sidon’s thrusts and smear precum between their stomachs.

Sidon found Link’s lips again, pressing sloppy kisses along his mouth and stifling his moans. One of his hands left its place to travel down and squeeze Link’s hip before it took hold of his cock and _squeezed._

Link was sure, now, that the bruises his fingers were leaving on Sidon’s skin were enough to rival the dark love bites Sidon left all across Link’s body. He could barely gather the strength to rock into Sidon’s hand when he came, his vision going white as he felt his body collapse on the mattress while Sidon fucked him.

His eyes closed themselves as his whole body twitched out of his control, and Sidon kept his hand’s pace while Link groaned deep in his throat, _still_ coming in hot streams between their stomachs. It was too much, Link was too sensitive, but Sidon kept going, the pleasure so hot in Link’s body it was nearing pain. Link felt himself blinking back tears while his hips trembled. His hips pulled up to meet Sidon’s hand and his ass clenched rhythmically around Sidon’s cock, his prostate sending hot streams of pleasure through the bottom of his stomach. He could already feel more heat pooling in his stomach.

Link could feel his arms sliding off of Sidon’s sweat slicked back trying desperately to keep their places, but Link… he couldn’t feel much of anything else. Sidon was sending hot spikes of pain and pleasure through his body.

Sidon’s groans turned into incoherent mumbling while he came, burying his face in the crook of Link’s neck. Sidon’s hand flew over Link’s oversensitive cock, and Link came again, so weak he could feel waves of exhaustion rushing through each of his limbs as they relaxed. His arms fell away from Sidon and his legs slipped down the soft sheets. He let Sidon curl on top of him, face still buried in his neck.

Sidon mumbled something to Link, but the sound was lost on his ears. The blond man tried his best to focus on regulating his breathing, regulating… anything, but his whole body buzzed with a hazy afterglow like he’d never felt before.

“Link, love,” Sidon mumbled, sounding _exhausted,_ and Link grunted in return. “Love,” Sidon mumbled again hazily, and Link could barely work up a reply, feeling himself doze despite the sticky mess slowly gluing their abdomens together. Sidon was… still inside of him.

But Link couldn’t bring himself to care too much.

Sidon stayed heavy on top of him and he let himself doze. He completely ignored everything gross that was going on between their bodies while he did so.

Sidon groaned low in his throat after a while, and Link groggily opened his eyes, trying to ignore the way it felt when Sidon finally pulled out of him. Link felt Sidon roll off of him and moved his arm out of the way so it wouldn’t be crushed. And went straight to sleep.

When he awoke, he was relatively clean and Sidon was facing away from him. His face was pressed firmly into the nape of Sidon’s neck, with his long hair draped over Link’s face like a blanket. Link must have wrapped himself around Sidon in his sleep.

Oh, his body ached. Link thought back to a time he’d joined a boxing club, just for the fun of it, and wished anything in the world to trade the pain of that first night for the pain he was feeling now.

Link was entirely convinced that Sidon needed a refresher course on the meaning of the term “apology”.

Link finally dragged himself out of the bed, stretching his aching arms high over his foggy head as he turned towards the kitchen, heading straight for his fridge to examine the contents. He grabbed a pair of shorts from his dressers as he left, doing an awkward dance as he hopped towards the kitchen.

It was empty, as expected, and Link set to drawing up a grocery list until he realized that he probably wouldn’t be home to make use of groceries anyway, considering that Sidon was still planning to take him to Lanayru. Right.

He turned from the kitchen and returned to the bed, curling around Sidon’s bare back. Sidon grunted in response, and Link pulled the blanket further up over both of them.

It wasn’t like Link had never been to Lanayru before; it was just that he hadn’t been in a long time, and the thought that Sidon would be introducing him to his family? It was nerve wracking.

And despite Sidon’s… enthusiastic apology, Link was still struggling with the bitterness for Zelda that sat deep in his gut.

Eventually, Link knew, he’d have to confront Zelda eventually, but he would not do that today, or any day in the near future while he spent the time working through is emotions and trying to fully establish himself in Tabantha.

Link supposed his chance to revel in a post-coital post-nap afterglow passed the moment he’d felt that first tang of bitterness curling up in his stomach.

Link peeled himself reluctantly from the bed again, hearing Sidon’s uncharacteristically groggy groan in response, and went to gather the soaked through cushions and towels from his furniture, plopping them in a pile in front of his linen closet when Sidon came up behind him, wrapping his long arms around Link’s smaller form.

Link smiled up at him and laughed at Sidon’s exhausted groan.

_“How much have you slept?”_

Sidon groaned again and Link swatted his arm, turning in his embrace.

_“I’m serious.”_

Sidon frowned down at him before burying his face in Link’s hair, his voice muffled. “I didn’t get much sleep last night, and you know I didn’t sleep before that. And I was worried about you all day today.”

Link frowned at him, but he was sure Sidon couldn’t see it.

“But I sent off the letter to my family, and I forgot to ask you your preferred mode of transportation. Lanayru is quite far away, my hometown even more so.”

Link wasn’t about to be distracted by Sidon’s quick subject change… but he let it happen. They were both emotionally exhausted, and he had no doubt that Sidon was physically exhausted as well.

 _“We can make it a road trip, right?”_ Link signed to him after taking a step back, and Sidon blinked blearily at him for a second before nodding slowly.

“Yes, though it would be a good twelve hours drive.”

Link nodded in Sidon’s embrace and pulled away reluctantly, letting his eyes linger on Sidon’s sleepy face before pulling them both back to Link’s bedroom.

 _“I need to talk to Zelda,”_ he told Sidon, and to his surprise Sidon nodded slowly, twining his hand with Link’s.

“I understand,” he responded, and together they spent the rest of the morning getting dressed.

Together, they made the small trip to Sidon’s house, taking their time to soak in the soft sunlight that filtered through the trees separating their homes. Link watched how the light glinted sharply off of the water near them, and Sidon stopped them before they entered the house, turning to Link.

“I’ve always loved the water,” he said to Link, and Link looked over, watching him closely. “I love how it feels to swim, I love how it looks at night and in the sunlight.” Link nodded slowly, and Sidon brought his hands up to either side of his face. “Your eyes remind me of that water,” he said quietly, and Link felt something inside of him shift.

Their kiss was everything to Link, then, and he knew that Sidon had stolen something from him. He’d taken a piece of Link’s heart and run, and Link chased after with the intent of taking a piece of Sidon’s. They chased each other in their hearts, just as their lips chased one another in the gentle sunlight.

~X~

It was dark when he arrived at Zelda’s, and he tamped down whatever nervousness he had when he exited one of Sidon’s many expensive cars in the portico. Sidon couldn’t come with him, but he’d insisted on having one of his drivers take Link, and Link had finally given in.

He didn’t regret the decision as he stood in the entrance, waiting for _someone_ from the house to greet him. But it was dark, like they’d suddenly vacated the home.

Link caught himself glancing over his shoulder at the driver who raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders.

Suddenly, the giant door separating Link from the inside of the house was wrenched open, and there stood Ganondorf, looming and furious in the doorway. He glanced around Link and took a hard look at the driver, as if he was expecting someone, and pulled Link quickly into the house.

Ganon’s disgust was not veiled, but he didn’t spare Link another glance or word as he led Link through the maze of a house. His usual small talk was absent and the silence said more to Link that Ganondorf ever could, but he followed Ganondorf, trying to remember where they were in the house. Ganon’s silence did little to disturb him; Link was never much for conversing with the man anyway.

Ganondorf took a sudden turn before stopping at a door and quickly returning to the hallway they’d come down, leaving Link to decide if entering the room was a good idea.

As soon as his hand turned the doorknob and poked his head in, Zelda stood from her place on yet another plush sofa and dropped her book, watching Link with wide eyes.

“Link! I wish you told me you’d stopped by! I would have made tea, or—“

“Stop,” Link said to her, and she stopped as if he’d screamed a command. Her hand was frozen on its way to the table, and Link took in the way her eyes were wide and bloodshot, darting around above the tear streaks running the lengths of her face.

“Link,” she said quietly, and he leveled her with a stare, waiting for her to work through her words. “I never meant to hurt you.”

 _“How would this not hurt me?”_ he signed quickly. _“You hurt me, he even hurt me.”_

Zelda slowly let her hand drift back to her side, pawing quickly at the expensive fabric of her gown. “I just… I…”

_“Did you tell Ganon to say those things?”_

Zelda didn’t respond, casting her blue eyes to the ground. She stayed staring at the plush carpet at her feet before looking up at Link with tired eyes. “I love him.”

Link stared back at her while she began to cry again. “I love him, and you have to believe me when I tell you I was willing to do anything to get him back.”

_“He told me he’d moved on.”_

“But I hadn’t, and honestly, Link, I never will. I never loved Ganondorf, I never will. I just… I didn’t…”

Link’s eyes drifted to the entrance of the room, fighting the bitterness that returned, suddenly, with a vengeance. He didn’t want to say he hated Zelda, but in this moment…

 _“You didn’t think he’d find out?”_ Link’s irritation was growing with each passing second. He sympathized with Zelda, he really did, but he couldn’t understand how she’d… managed to attempt manipulation on this scale. _“You thought you could have Sidon and have your marriage.”_

“No, I didn’t,” Zelda said quickly, shaking her head as if Link had accused her of something outrageous. “I wanted… I wanted to know that Sidon hadn’t forgotten about me. And now—“

_“And now you could be with Sidon, because he has money.”_

Zelda froze. “He told you.” Link resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

_“He told me that he learned that you were shallow. You only wanted to marry money.”_

Link could see that Zelda was getting frustrated now by the way her face flushed to an even brighter color. She licked her lips before quietly replying, a tremor apparent in her voice.

“He didn’t tell you that I didn’t marry him because of the money.” Her voice was steadily rising and she took a step towards Link. “I loved him with everything, but I would have been… I would have been exiled. My family would have disowned me for marrying someone like him.”

Link furrowed his brow at her while she approached. She… was shallow. She had more money in her possession at that time than Link would probably see in his entire life. Her family could have dropped her at any time and she’d still have enough to buy three of these mansions and furnish every room.

 _“Do better,_ ” Link signed simply, and she hissed low under her breath, spinning on her heel to turn away from him.

“I love him!” She turned back around again, blonde hair swinging behind her as she did so, ghosting over the ends of her gown that settled around her legs. “And I know he loves me—“

 _“Maybe a part of him loves you. The idea of who you were. Who you could have been.”_ Link shook his head at her. _“But he doesn’t love you.”_

“Of course he would tell you that!” Link narrowed his eyes at her. She was… very unoriginal. Of course he’d entertained the idea that Sidon was being insincere, but he came to the conclusion that Sidon was very, very sincere, and that Zelda was not. “Of course he would tell you that—you’re practically living with him! And that’s no mistake, Link, he wants you there. Why, I don’t know—“

_“Because we’re together?”_

“Please,” Zelda said with a wave of her hand. Dismissively. “You can be ‘together’ all you want, but that means nothing. Your union’s made of whatever cheap material he gets his suits made with. You’ll be fine until his business partners start to wonder who this man is, following him around everywhere—“

“Zelda, stop,” Link said, but Zelda shook her head, taking another step forward until she was oppressively close.

“No. You’ll lose business deals, suddenly. He’s taking over for the family business? He won’t be achieving _anything._ Marred by scandal, the both of you, until you’re piss poor and _then_ you’ll understand what it’s like to go from having everything to _nothing._ ”

Ganondorf chose that moment to enter the room, his square features pushed up into a cruel sneer. His bright red hair seemed to only contribute to his fearsome look, but Link regarded him with a sleepy apprehension.

“Zelda,” Ganon said in a clipped voice, and she turned her accusing glare to him quickly, sneering back at him.

“What.” There was no question in her voice, but Ganon disregarded her outrage in an instant.

“There’s a phone call for you. It’s from your father. If I were you, I would take it.” Ganon’s voice was low and dangerous, and Zelda’s eyes narrowed before she stepped around Link and walked past Ganon, not meeting his eyes again.

Link stood with his back partially turned to Ganon before he turned to look at the towering man. They stared at each other for a moment.

“I truly believed in you, Link,” Ganondorf sneered, and Link couldn’t say that he’d expected to hear anything else in any other tone. “I tried so hard to give you the benefit of the doubt—“

“By accepting an opinion that Zelda spoon fed you,” Link whispered to him, feeling anger building slowly in his gut. His voice was wavering in the way that made him quit talking, and his throat was raw from disuse and emotion, but he kept talking. “You’re not better than me, Zelda’s definitely not better than me with the lengths she went to try to get with Sidon.”

Ganondorf froze, and Link knew he’d found it. Zelda hadn’t told Ganon, of course she hadn’t. Whatever he’d found out, it wasn’t about Sidon. The running list of Zelda’s lies was getting too long to remember.

“Phone calls to him like he actually had interest in picking up,” Link reveled in Ganon’s temporarily shocked face. “Invited us to dinner to break us up, shows up at our home to put the last nail in the coffin.”

“You—“

“You knew she was cheating,” Link kept his voice low, but Ganon was responding as if he’d spat the information in Ganon’s face. “But you didn’t know this, did you?”

And with that Link stepped around Ganon like Zelda had stepped around him, and began to stride down the long hallway, straining his mind to remember if he needed to make a left… or a right… when a hand clamped down on his shoulder and spun him around, slamming him into the wall.

“ ** _This is all your fault!_** _”_ Ganondorf roared, and Link felt hot, sharp fear sear straight through the righteous anger that had been coursing through is veins. He immediately struggled to escape, but Ganon had him pinned to the wall so tightly he could already feel the bruises forming on his shoulders and back.

Ganon’s face was in his, bitter breath clouding the air between them while he snarled.

“This is your fault! You think I’m supposed to believe you, faggot?” He pressed Link’s shoulder back harder into the wall and Link felt fear close his throat as he gaped back at Ganondorf.

“So now you can’t talk?” Ganondorf hissed low in his ear, and Link tried once again to escape the grasp and flee. “What, all you can speak is lies? That why you keep your mouth shut?”

Link wrenched his shoulder from Ganon’s grasp and bolted, turning quickly down the first hallway and speeding fast enough to avoid Ganon in the maze. When he finally found the exit, he hopped in the front seat of Sidon’s car and hoped that the driver had enough sense to not linger.

“What did you do to him?” The driver asked as they drove down the road away from Zelda and Ganondorf, watching Ganon’s towering form vanish as they rode away.

 _“He thinks I ruined his marriage,”_ Link signed, and the driver squinted at him from the corner of his eye. He raised his hands to repeat the same thing, each motion slower, and the driver nodded his head.

While Link had long since forgotten the driver’s name, he knew that he liked the guy. He and Link got along well, and the man knew sign language because of a deaf family member. He was slow at it, but it allowed them to communicate.

The driver made a face that had Link laughing despite his upset emotions, but he was sure the echoes of Ganon’s accusing voice would never leave.

~X~

Lanayru was… nearly the same as the rest of Hyrule. Link wasn’t surprised, he’d been from the neighboring region of Hateno, and he’d seen Lanayru a few times, but the landscape had changed significantly over the years.

As they rode the winding road through Central Hyrule, Link noticed that besides the heavily populated areas around Kakariko, the path to Central Lanayru was mostly uninhabited… until they approached the Domain.

According to Sidon, his family owned every bit of land in the immediate area, giving it the broad title of Zoras’ Domain. Link couldn’t quite understand what there was to own besides winding roads and towering cliff-sides… until they approached what Link could only describe as the most beautiful bridge in all of Hyrule and cleared the mountains.

Zoras’ Domain took the breath clean from Link’s lungs, and Sidon laughed loudly when that happened, using the hand he’d slung over Link’s shoulder to point towards one of the mountains to their right.

“Up there’s the East Reservoir Lake. My sister and I used to swim in as kids. Don’t let me forget to take you up there.”

Link nodded enthusiastically, trying to process how Sidon’s family managed to hide a _palace_ in the _mountains_. It was surrounded by water supplied from the dozens of waterfalls in the mountains and on the palace itself. Each stone was blue, shimmering and glowing, and Link was _intimidated_ by the sheer… extravagance.

Link certainly saw the inspiration it lent Sidon in planning his parties, but the parties, as beautiful and lively as they were, simply lacked the elegance of this palace.

“This was my childhood home. I’m not sure who’s living here, as of late—“

Sidon pulled the car to a stop and hopped out, telling Link to remain in the car while he jogged up to the entrance.

There was no way the palace was empty, Link thought while he watched Sidon unlock the door and go inside. Everything was spotless, pristine, and somehow Sidon fit perfectly into the image of beauty, melting into it like he’d been here all along.

Sidon re-appeared at the door with someone else appearing at the door along with him. The man looked apologetic from Link’s perspective.

“Greetings, Master Link,” the man said as he approached the car. Link took that time to exit, standing up to shake the man’s hand. “Like I was telling Master Sidon, I’m terribly sorry that there was no one here to receive you—“

“And like I was telling you, Mikau, there’s no need to be worried about that.” Sidon brought a hand down on the man’s shoulder before nodding towards the car. “According to my letter, we were not supposed to arrive until tomorrow.”

“I see,” Mikau replied and immediately moved to retrieve the bags from the back of the car. “The house is indeed clean and ready for your use. I don’t know what we’ll do about the food situation.”

Sidon waved his hand in response before grabbing two bags. Link followed suit, and Mikau was left with the lightest of their luggage. 

The interior of the mansion was almost as stunning as the outside, and the ambient roar of water made the foyer feel like a giant aquarium.

Sidon had… modeled his own home after this one. Everything was nearly in the same spot, and Link was grateful he wouldn’t have to learn the layout of yet another giant home.

By the time Link made it to the bedroom they were staying in, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get used to the way the stones were actually glowing, even though Sidon tried his best to explain what was going on. Link hadn’t even noticed when Mikau excused himself to leave Link and Sidon alone.

“There’s going to be a half meeting half gala they day after tomorrow… what day is that?”

Sidon’s voice took Link out of his daydream. They were here on business. Right.

 _“Thursday?”_ Link signed, and Sidon nodded absently, thinking.

When Sidon didn’t reply again, Link looked over to him to watch him staring out into the water surrounding the house like a moat.

“Sidon?” Link asked quietly, and Sidon spun around quickly, golden eyes soft.

“I’m sorry, Link, I let myself get lost in my thoughts.” Link hopped onto the bed and crossed his legs, and Sidon joined him a second later, lacing their hands together and bringing them to rest between them. “This house reminds me of the family I lost,” he said after a beat of silence, and Link nodded apologetically, letting his head fall on Sidon’s arm.

Sidon shifted their bodies so that Link could rest his head in the crook of Sidon’s neck and Link obliged happily, scooting closer to the redhead. They stayed like that for a moment before Sidon kicked his legs out, pushing the luggage out of their way and lying down with Link beside him. Link laughed at the movement, and laughed even harder when Sidon scrambled to catch the luggage from completely falling to the ground.

In his scramble, he managed to kick Link, who kicked back without hesitation, sending Sidon crashing directly to the floor with an undignified yelp.

Link caught himself in near hysterics at Sidon’s state, laughing harder when Sidon’s indignant face reappeared over the side of the bed.

“Link!”

Link tried to resist the urge, but his hand was already tossing a pillow at Sidon’s disgruntled form before he could stop himself.

Sidon made a sound that could only be described as a revenge screech and threw the pillow back, sending Link into another round of hysterical laughter before diving headlong onto the bed.

“If it’s war you want, dear Link…” Link laughed impossibly harder at Sidon’s attempt at a serious face, holding his arms up in a weak attempt to shield himself from the inevitable pillow barrage. “It’s war you will get!”

And all of Link’s anxieties from the week were washed away with Sidon’s gentle laugh in a cloud of displaced feathers drifting slowly to the floor around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, this story is in a series, cause I’m too lazy to start another full length project. So I’m going to turn to you guys and as you what you want to see. Because I’m really bad at coming up with my own ideas, and I need writing practice. 
> 
> SO, tell me what you think you’ll want to see happen in this universe (or any universe really cause I’m about to publish the Sidlink project I started working on to relieve myself of writers block) and I’ll see if I can make it happen! In the mean time, I’m gonna start on chapter 5, which will either be really really long and dramatic or a really short mess. Who knows.
> 
> (also I have a notes document for my sidlink/sink works and I’m debating whether or not to post it under chapter 6 when this story is finished because it’s the most ridiculous notes document ive ever written hands down and itd be a shame for it to stay hidden in the depths of my flashdrive)
> 
> Next chapter: Bang Bang


	5. Bang Bang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let him try, he thought, as he watched them both fall into the water, a drop of fear spreading through his bones like the seeping blood in the water. He heard her scream, but he, too, was in the water, trying to revive a heart that had already stopped beating. 
> 
> Like a vortex, all the words he’d spoken found themselves sucked back into his chest, locking themselves away faster than he could breathe his hatred, faster than he could—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… I have a [tumblr](https://kydesert.tumblr.com/)! And after this chapter is posted, I’ll post the extremely ridiculous notes I wrote throughout this story for your entertainment. I also like to talk about everything, ships, headcannons, literally I just love to talk way too much. Like share anything with me, fics you like, ask me for recs, idk idc I just like to talk. And I also slap tiny one shots that I don’t feel like putting up on archive so if you wanna see those. Oh and I do prompts. Which I love. 
> 
> Ok so I will admit that I’m kinda unhappy with how some of these scenes turned out so if I ever get the courage I’ll go back and edit it. Like I feel like the pacing is… wrong. Oh well. I’ve always had an issue with pacing things correctly. I was really about to split this chapter up but I wrote most of it while I didn’t have internet, so I just kept writing and writing… anyway, I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Oh! Remember those boxing lessons Link mentioned once? Also my friend [kannedair](http://archiveofourown.org/users/kannedair/pseuds/kannedair) had to help me with nearly all of the ideas in this chapter. I'm a wreck and she literally is the reason most of the events in this chapter exist.

~U~

Some things never change.

The main difference between one of Sidon’s infamous parties and the event Link was now witnessing was the _scale_ , and while Link thought the parties he’d previously attended couldn’t get any larger and flamboyant, he quickly realized that he couldn’t have been more wrong.

Everyone filtered through Sidon’s home in the Zora’s Domain, from misguided business men to tall, beautiful Gerudo women. Fruits and drinks of all kinds of variety drifted smoothly in front of Link, passing through the giant ballroom in the hands of servers who moved through the crowds like the water flowing down the room on all sides.

However, while the exotic nature of the room pulsed with the same kind of energy Link was accustomed to seeing, this was no party.

“I’m sorry for dragging you here, Link,” Sidon said when they arrived, but Link simply waved his hand. He’d already met Sidon’s close family, and the meeting had gone almost impossibly well, with most of his family quickly realizing the true nature of their relationship and putting their full support behind the couple. It came as a surprise to Link, but he was immensely grateful. He’d nearly forgotten the second part of their trip—the business portion.

This was a reception. For a meeting. Maybe a summit was a more appropriate word? Link was sure, at this point, that he’d never seen so much money, so many rich people with exotic accessories and expensive cars, in one place.

There was a full band in the center of the room, and from his place at the top of the stairs he watched quietly as all kinds of people streamed through the room. Sidon was… somewhere. Link had seen him talking to a Gerudo woman who was almost as tall as he was, and Link himself became distracted by a young… entrepreneur, who claimed he’d created the recipe for the best bread buns in the world, straight from Tabantha. Right.

Far off to his left, also leaning on the rail was a man who seemed to be closely investigating his drink. Link knew he’d seen the face before, but between the smoky haze of the room and the haze of alcohol over his own eyes, Link couldn’t quite discern the man’s features from his downturned face.

When Sidon’s towering form approached, the man melded into the crowd and Link forgot about him as soon as he vanished.

Beside Sidon was a woman who was much shorter than Sidon but still taller than Link, and when Link squinted at her, he could say she definitely struck some cord of recognition.

“Linny!” The woman greeted, arms thrown wide, and Link stared at her blankly. His eyes glanced at Sidon, who was giving the woman the most incredulous look… before Link remembered.

“Kodah?” he asked aloud, and Kodah grinned wider in response.

“It’s been years!” She scooped him up in a hug before pulling back go glance down at him, placing her hands on her hips. Link… vaguely remembered her from his college days, when she’d dated roommate. He was surprised he’d remembered her at all.

Link tried his best to catch up with her without speaking directly to her and Sidon helped by picking up most of the conversation, expertly avoiding questions that were too personal.

“How did you manage to run into _this one?_ ” Kodah asked Link in a hushed tone while Sidon tried his best to talk his way out of meeting another group of strangers.

 _“Neighbors,”_ Link signed, exaggerating the motion and gesturing between himself and Sidon. Kodah nodded slowly, not quite understanding him, and promptly excused herself. Link watched as she vanished into the crowd.

Link spent the rest of his time drifting, occasionally running into Sidon or another vaguely familiar person. He’d run into Zelda’s brother, greeted him, caught up, and quickly fled to return to his aimless wandering before he’d even remembered what his name was.  

“Listen, Link,” Kodah was back, suddenly appearing from somewhere behind Link, and she laughed lightly when he started. “Laflat requested that I take over charge of the company’s relations with other companies, namely the Goron Mining Company.”

Link nodded slowly, not quite understanding his role in this. He was just a visitor with no ties to whatever business arrangements would happen tonight.

“Since Sidon is planning on taking over from Laflat, I thought it would be good to discuss with him the possibility of creating a partnership with the Gerudo—“ She grinned when Link scowled at the name, laughing once again. “I’ve heard some… unsavory things about his relationship with Ganondorf—“

“You don’t know the half of it,” Link said quietly, and Kodah brought her hand to her mouth to stifle her amusement.

“Please, Link, I’m trying to be serious!” In response, Link stuck his tongue out in a childish gesture, sending Kodah into another fit of giggles.

“No, listen,” Kodah continued after they both recovered. “I want you to talk to Sidon about at least considering it. Laflat’s going to talk to him as well, and of course I’ll bring it up, but I have a feeling he’ll listen to you.”

Link narrowed his eyes. Did she think that he’d just… bring it up? And Sidon would just… listen? With no suspicion that she or Laflat had put him up to it?

“Sidon’s not stupid,” Link said to her, since trying to sign to her was like trying to get someone to read written Gerudo.

“I know! But we’re going to bring it up at the conference. I figure…”

Link shook his head at her. “That’s not my decision.”

“We’ll see. I’ve already talked to Sheik and Yunobo and I know that because of Sheik’s connection to the Gerudo, an agreement is sure to be drawn up between the Sheikah and the Gerudo if he can convince Lady Impa.”

Link nodded in vague disinterest. Kodah was still trying to use other methods of persuasion, but Link had long since toned her out, turning his attention towards looking through the crowd of people for Sidon’s tall redhead…

When he spotted another tall redhead. One who he’d honestly never wanted to see again. At his side was Zelda, who floated along regally, greeting everyone in her path. At Zelda’s side was her brother, Sheik, who, like Sidon, expertly and effortlessly drifted through the crowd while both greeting and avoiding nearly everyone.

While Kodah droned on about business agreements, Link accidently caught Sheik’s eye, and when he waved and gestured towards Zelda Link felt dread spread through him.

He smiled stiffly at Kodah, patting her shoulder in a rushed parting gesture before he began to flee, still seeking Sidon out in the crowd.

Link weaved through people until he could no longer see Ganondorf, Zelda, Sheik, and Kodah, and while his eyes scanned the crowd, Link caught Sidon again with a Gerudo woman who looked familiar. He drifted over, and the woman smiled brightly at him, gesturing for him to come closer.

“This is your ‘date’, Sidon?” The tall woman asked, and Sidon laughed nervously, extending his arm to welcome Link into the conversation.

“Urbosa, this is Link,” Sidon said when Link finally joined them. “Link? Urbosa.”

Link nodded to her, thankful that she seemed to be much friendlier than Ganondorf. She smiled warmly at Link, shaking his hand before stepping back to look at Sidon. She stood slightly shorter than him, and her vibrant red hair was bound loosely while it fell down past her waist.

“We were just discussing—“ Urbosa held up a hand to Sidon, shaking her head.

“You can’t just discuss confidential business matters!” She scolded, and Link stared at Sidon expectantly, crossing his arms in fake disappointment.

“Yeah, Sidon,” he said quietly, just to watch Sidon’s eyes widen in surprise. “Can’t do that.”

Sidon took a moment to gape, mouth opening and closing before he finally choked out, “You’re…”

Urbosa belted out a laugh, clapping her hand on Link’s shoulder. “Sidon, I’m joking. I know for a fact that Laflat is trying to write up an agreement between our companies. I’d be surprised if she hasn’t tried to get in Link’s space...” Her eyes drifted to Link expectantly, and Link nodded.

“She… she what?!” Sidon looked between Link and Urbosa, waiting for Link to elaborate. Link stood silent for a moment, trying to decide between methods of communication when Urbosa spoke up.

“Don’t worry sweetheart, I can sign,” she said aloud, signing the words along while she spoke, and Link instantly felt whatever apprehension he’d sensed around Urbosa melt away. “Sidon told me you weren’t much of a fan of speaking.”

 _“Kodah told me about the trade agreement that would be happening. She said that because Sheik is already involved—_ “

“Sheik?” Sidon asked suddenly, and Link cut him with a glare that had Urbosa snickering.

 _“Sheik has a connection to someone named Impa. And since he’s Zelda’s brother…_ ” Urbosa nodded in understanding, looking to Sidon.

“I know that I’m supposed to be navigating agreements to benefit my company, but I will have to tell you that an agreement between us now would be unwise for you.”

Sidon nodded in agreement. “Ganondorf and I have already had many disagreements. I’m sure whatever we could draw up wouldn’t be beneficial for my family or the company.”

Link watched as Urbosa nodded slowly, her gaze drifting off to something unseen by both of them. “And you’ll be announcing your decision tonight?”

“I will. But I’m certain I will not agree to whatever arrangements Ganondorf will present.”

“Smart choice,” Urbosa said quickly, and Link nodded shallowly in agreement. The three stood in silence for a moment before she looked between Link and Sidon, her eyes carefully analyzing them both.

After a moment of quiet conversation, Link made a gesture that signaled he was getting ready to leave, and Sidon watched him go with adoring eyes.

 

 “So… business partners? Neighbors?” Urbosa said quietly, and Sidon glanced at her with surprise in his eyes.

“… Yes?” He didn’t miss the amusement in her voice, and it set him on edge. Sure, his family was supportive, but revealing the true nature of their relationship, in this day and age, would be asking for a sort of alienation like no other.

“Hm. Alright.” She was not convinced, Sidon could tell. Somehow, she _knew_ , and while he trusted Urbosa, he didn’t trust any of the other Gerudo to respect him if the truth came out. He’d been apprehensive when Link had told him that Zelda knew everything… she could use it to hurt him.

He had to trust that she wouldn’t. He had to trust that he hadn’t hurt her enough for her to turn to that.

“You know Sidon, I have a daughter,” Urbosa said quietly. “I love her dearly. Her name is Riju.”

Sidon stared at her, nodding slowly but not quite understanding. This all… he needed time to process. He needed time to think about the knowledge that Ganon was going to attempt to use some of these people and their families for his own, unnecessary financial gain, with no regard for what will be the eventual downfall of their lives.

“I… I know that Ganondorf is a dangerous man. And I know that he deals in less than desirable ways to get what he wants. I work for him, yes, but only because we belong to the same family. I do not respect him, I do not trust him.”

This, Sidon could understand. Ganondorf was a thief, and every single member of the Gerudo family knew this. They needed to dethrone him if they wanted their family, and the company, to survive with a good reputation. They needed to dethrone him if they wanted people to survive, period.

“Riju is in more danger the longer I stay with this company, but I never intend to leave. I intend to be where Ganondorf is now. That is the only way I can protect my family.”

Sidon was slowly starting to understand. Urbosa only trusted him because he could prevent harm from coming to her family. She was showing him that she trusted him.

“I’m telling you this because I know something about you,” she said, and Sidon tensed in anticipation. Of course she did. Urbosa was perceptive, she seemed to see everything. “And the only thing I’m going to say to you is… hold on to him.”

Sidon met her steady, gentle eyes, silently sending her a thousand questions.

“He’s a feisty one, Link, but he loves you. You can see it in his eyes. Take care of him.”

And before Sidon could reply, Urbosa was turning to leave, her long hair flowing behind her while she went. “Get your wits about you, Sidon, the meeting is about to start.”

~Z~

There were five families in total at the summit, Link noticed, and they were organized in segments throughout the room, facing the singular podium in the front of the room, above everyone. The families seemed to be mingling well, and Link caught sight of a few belonging to the Rito family mixing in with the other families, remarking about how they rarely left the mountains of Hebra. There was a man named Revali representing them, and his tone of voice was lofty and condescending. Link had a feeling he’d be difficult to work with.

Those in the Goron family were very boisterous and strong, each personality standing out strong amongst the people in the room, and the Zoras and Gerudo drifted regally through the room, filling the air with hints of professionalism and playful banter.

Link found himself sitting with a group of Zoras, feeling both infinitely welcome and devastatingly out of place, and he tried to resist when Sidon’s family began to bully him into moving further back so he wouldn’t have to strain his neck looking up at the podium.

While they escorted him back, he couldn’t help but notice how… dreadfully short he was in comparison to them. Or rather… in comparison to everyone in the room…

Save for the Sheikah.

The Sheikah were directly related to Hylians, but the families had mixed and mingled so much that they were practically one in the same. Zelda and Sheik were both Hylian and Sheikah, and Sheik was representing the family. They were the lawyers, and they would be vastly helpful in drawing out a plan that would draw these five companies together.

Link had always felt… disconnected from his family. And being in the room made it painfully apparent, while he watched people from his childhood carry on without him, but… he knew that he belonged where he was currently.

Link tried his best not to stare at Sidon while he talked with the other family heads as they stood around waiting for the meeting to officially begin. He seemed… nervous, especially around Revali, but he would be fine.

Link’s real focus was Laflat, however. He couldn’t help but follow the seemingly mild mannered woman while she walked past the family heads to greet Zelda, who was still glued to Ganondorf’s side. The two embraced warmly, and exchanged a few words before Laflat went to stand beside Sidon, saying a few things to him that seemed to turn his neutral face into a confused one. She drifted back to Zelda, leaning down to whisper more words in her ear before looking up at Ganon expectantly. When she didn’t receive any acknowledgement from him, her gaze turned towards Urbosa, who wasn’t standing too far away.

Despite Link’s lack of knowledge concerning everything that would happen tonight, Link wanted nothing more than to stand beside Sidon and lend some sort of support… but that wouldn’t be possible.

He didn’t need to give Ganondorf any more ammunition. And while the Gerudo hadn’t acknowledged Link’s presence, Link knew that Ganon was made aware of his attendance.

But while Link was watching Laflat’s strange behavior, he missed whatever silent signal beckoned the seven speakers to the stage. Link supposed that Sidon and Laflat would be speaking together, like Ganon and Urbosa, and Daruk, Revali, and Sheik would be representing their companies alone.

“My father could not be here to speak today, so I’m here in his stead. A poor imitation, I must admit,” the audience tittered quietly, “though, I’m sure he would have loved to see the colorful personalities in this panel,” Sheik remarked jovially, and the audience laughed quietly while Sheik continued with his opening words.

The meeting moved by quickly, then, with each representative presenting their own take on the idea, and compromising the terms and conditions of an agreement… each person except for Ganondorf.

“The terms presented to you are final,” Ganon said to everyone, passing out his own thick packet of information. “There will be no negotiations, as these terms have already been reviewed by lawyers and lawyers who are in contract with the Sheikah.”

Link didn’t miss the surprise that seemingly crossed Sheik’s face as he glanced down at whatever was on the front of the packet before passing it to Sidon. Laflat reached over and grabbed the packet from him, flipping through it and nodding before passing it along.

The disagreement amongst the seven grew until the only agreement between them was that they should move on and return to the topic.

Ganondorf announced Urbosa’s promotion, followed by a bout of applause and a short statement from the newly appointed CFO, and Link hoped that she’d be able to lighten the company’s strict business practices.

But when it was Sidon’s turn to announce his advance to the head of the company, Laflat stood beside him and began to speak.

“Sidon has expressed his… interest in taking over the company. However, I feel that he will need to go through a training period before he can fully take over the role.” Sidon’s expression betrayed that this was not what they had discussed, but Laflat moved on before he could protest. “We will also look into announcing our move into water filtration and purification…”

The rest of her words droned on in the background as Link sat, staring at the stage and wondering why Laflat would not give Sidon the promotion she’d previously discussed…

“Link,” a quiet voice said from beside him, and he looked over to see Zelda. She must have weaved her way through the many tables scattered about to get to him. He and some of the people at the table stared at her in annoyance, shooting her glances while they watched the rest of Laflat’s statement. “Link, I’m sorry to interrupt you. I’d like a word with you outside.”

Link stood because… well he wasn’t exactly thinking. Zelda had very little reason to speak with him, much less request a private audience… but he followed her, carefully making his way through the room until she led him to a smaller side room. She closed the door behind them.

“Link, I would… first like to apologize,” she said quietly while Link lingered near the wall in the room. “I do have things to discuss with you, but I believe it would be best to put aside out differences—“ a rowdy cheer erupted through the audience just outside the door, gathering their attention. Zelda shook her head and continued, curbing her curiosity. “I am aware that my behavior was not… desirable.”

Link only scowled in response.

“I do feel regret for what I did. I was… sophomoric to say the least. And for that I apologize. I am glad you and Sidon are happy.”

Link nodded to accept her apology, pressing his lips into a thin smile. The result was a grimace, but it didn’t seem to faze Zelda while she spoke. She was… insincere, to say the least. But Link would listen to what she had to say. Her hasty apologetic words would do nothing to ease the sting of the insults she’d thrown at him that night. She’d hurt him, but hopefully she had something to say to him tonight. Maybe that was why he’d followed her out here. Maybe she could help him.

_You can be ‘together’ all you want, but that means nothing. Your union’s made of whatever cheap material he gets his suits made with._

“Listen, Link, I don’t know if you remember this or not, but Ganondorf is not yet the head of the company. A woman named Nabooru is. And while she isn’t as… cruel as Ganon is, she is very strict. As far as his family knows, he’s currently feuding with her.”

_“So Urbosa is currently above Ganon?”_

“Yes, but only in title. Nabooru is very, very old. I’m convinced that Ganon is not feuding with her, he’s using her. She’s practically senile.”

Link thought about this for a moment, thinking back on listening to Urbosa’s distaste for the agreement Ganon would present.

“Urbosa is trying to remove both of them from power, and take a place at the head of the company, which will allow her to reinstate her own policies. And to do that, she needs Sidon to turn down the agreement.”

So Zelda wanted the agreement to happen. At least, that’s what Link was gathering. Zelda was trying to do what Kodah did, but she was explaining it in slightly greater detail.

“Sidon can not turn down the agreement,” she continued, “because Laflat will not let him take his place as the head. Laflat will agree with Ganon, and everyone else will be forced to agree… if they want clean water.”

Link froze, staring at her. “What?”

Zelda let the statement hang in the air between them while she fiddled with the hem of her bejeweled dress. She let out a shaky breath, eyes wandering to the door behind them when another loud exclamation came through the door.

“Ganon… he… he’s not a good man—“

“—no shit.”

Zelda sighed and started over. “Link… I regret what I said to you. I just... I do not want to make excuses. But I’ve been married to Ganondorf for so long I let his personality taint me, and I… I will never be able to truly apologize for the hateful things I said to you.

“I don’t love Sidon. I… I see what you have with Sidon, how he looks at you how you look at him… and… that’s what love is. It isn’t jealousy, it isn’t wanting someone to hurt because they hurt you. I’m telling you this information to… maybe make it up to you. For almost ruining what you two had because I was too selfish to see what was right in front of me.”

“Thank you,” Link said, and Zelda looked up at him with shiny eyes. They stood in silence for a moment, with Zelda wringing her hands while she fought to keep her composure. But she lost it, looking up into Link’s eyes.

“Link, I’m sorry,” she whispered quietly, her voice breaking. Link stepped towards her, but she shook her head. “Laflat announced her move towards expanding the company to water filtration, which means they will begin buying out all privatized centers. And while Laflat has no ill intentions, we can’t let this happen, Link. There will be a recess in about an hour, and then after that a signing. Please talk to Sidon if you can, I know he will not listen to me.”

 _“Alright,”_ Link signed to her quickly, and she smiled at him through her watery expression. _“I’ll try_.”

“Please go ahead of me. I need to freshen up.”

As Link turned to leave the room, he could hear Zelda’s faint sobs below the din of the meeting outside.

~S~

When Link sat back down in his seat, he found that the entire atmosphere of the room was… different. It took him a moment to realize what had changed, but when he noticed he wondered how he’d missed it in the first place.

The seven sat at the table above the room, tensely going through their papers while Sidon stared out into the crowd blankly, lips pursed. On the other end of the table, Ganondorf smugly looked up before continuing whatever statement Link missed.

“Like I was saying, I am in no position to make negotiations, and if you had not noticed,” Ganondorf tilted his head towards Sidon, “removing the connection between your water expansion and my research facilities is a negotiation. I wasn’t aware you did not understand the meaning of that.”

Sidon grimaced at that, his eyes finding Link in the crowd while Ganon continued.

“My company will also expand into water reclamation, Sidon, and right now between you, me, and Laflat, you are in the minority of people who agree.”

Sidon shook his head. “The majority of people here do not agree with—“

“We’re not discussing that part of the—“

“We’re discussing this in its entirety!” Ganondorf scoffed, but Sidon continued, outwardly irritated. “This agreement will work mainly in your favor—“

Ganondorf’s tone of voice was mildly amused. “And yours—“

Sidon’s voice was strong when he interrupted, “And you have given little motivation for anyone else to join this agreement. With some revision, this will read more like an agreement and less like a robbery.”

“It’s not robbery.”

“Very well said.”

Laflat and Revali spoke at the same time, and the Rito looked up to glare at the Zora before continuing. “I can’t agree to this. I would be losing money, and giving away a part of my business. It would be better for your company,” Revali nodded towards Sidon and Laflat, “to continue your move towards water reclamation and leave the Gerudo out of it.”

Urbosa nodded almost imperceptibly in agreement, but Sidon nodded vigorously towards Laflat.

“I hate to interrupt,” Urbosa says quietly, in the silence that follows. “But it’s about time for us to take a recess. We will meet back here in an hour.”

The room was a flurry of people, then, but Link more or less stayed in his same spot. With his height, moving around wouldn’t help Sidon find him. When he finally did, Link wasn’t surprised to see Urbosa at his side.

“I thought I hated Ganon before,” Sidon was saying as they approached. “But the man is intolerable. I thought he was… I don’t know. At least a good business man?”

“Ganon is undeserving of the benefit of doubt,” Urbosa replied, grinning at Link. “You do any snooping?” She asked in jest.

To both Urbosa and Sidon’s surprise, Link actually nodded. _“Ganondorf is going to use Laflat’s idea of water reclamation to force the others to agree to his terms.”_

“How is he going to do that?” Sidon asked before Urbosa could. “Laflat is only cooperating with him because he has the experience and funds to move this initiative forward. The more I talk to her, the more I can see that she really doesn’t want to work with Ganon, she just wants to get this working.”

Link nodded in understanding. _“I think that Ganondorf is going to use Laflat to establish the facilities, which will outsource to various sections of Hyrule. Who knows what Ganondorf plans, but he could use the water against them, whether he hikes the prices up or…_ ”

“It’s not above Ganondorf to start to use underhanded methods to get what he wants. I’ll let Laflat know about your theory,” Urbosa responded, turning to leave Sidon and Link alone. They watched her vanish into the crowd, pushing past a very irritated Revali to find Laflat.

“We were just joking about the spy work, Link,” Sidon said once they were alone, but Link shook his head.

 _“I know. But between Laflat and Zel—“_  Link stopped three letters into Zelda’s name, his hands freezing midair. But he knew Sidon had seen.

“Zelda? What does she have to do with this?”

_“She’s the one who told me about Ganondorf’s plans—“_

“And you’re sure that he didn’t put her up to it? That she’s not playing into his plans?” Sidon seemed agitated, but not at Link.

“She’s not,” Link said aloud. “I’m sure.” His voice was probably sounding extremely raspy at this point, considering the pain he felt from speaking so much in the past few days alone. He signed along with his quiet whisper, on the off chance that Sidon couldn’t hear him.

Sidon seemed to accept this, but the look in his eye told Link that he was still confused by Zelda’s sudden change of heart. But this information was the only info they had.

Urbosa returned with Laflat but the signal for the meeting to resume came soon after, and Sidon gave Link a tight smile before everyone returned to their seats, just as restless as before.

“I have decided that I will not enter in contract with the Gerudo Steel Company,” Laflat began, and most of the Zoras around Link nodded in agreement. “I have also decided to cede my position to Sidon.” The Zoras burst into rowdy cheers at that, and Laflat gave the crowd a shy smile, talking as soon a she could. “I hope that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been a good leader,” she received reassurance in response, and turned to Sidon, “I hope you’ll let me continue my Clean Water Initiative under your supervision.”

“Of course, Laflat. And thank you so much for the offer, but I will have to deny it. This meeting alone is stressing me out, and I feel like the company has been perfect under your supervision. I will put more of an effort into working with you all, but the position belongs to you.”

While Sidon spoke, Ganondorf stared. His eyes bored holes into Sidon’s side while he finished his statement, and his gaze grew angrier and angrier while each representative stood to announce that they would not go into contract with Ganondorf.

Sheik offered to consider a partnership with the Zoras if they were successful in their endeavors, and Revali took a direct jab at Ganondorf, stating that he’d never even considered working with a thief like Ganon. He turned to Urbosa, though, and wished her well in her new position.

But Ganondorf’s stare stayed steady on Sidon.

“I regret that we could not come to an agreement,” Ganondorf said as the meeting came to an end, still focusing heavily on Sidon. “While I do not like the rumors that were quickly spread about my motives and business technique, I realize that little can be done to change the minds of these dear colleges. The Domain is a beautiful place, and I thank the Zora family and company for hosting this meeting. Thank you all for attending.”

And… it was over.

Link personally found himself enjoying the drama of the evening, thought the threat of endangered lives turned the drama into a serious issue. He bid everyone around him goodbye, promising to return to visit soon, and used his now fully honed crowd maneuvering techniques to move towards Sidon.

But he was stopped by a large hand on his shoulder, an all too familiar feeling flowing through his veins.

“I think we should talk privately, Link,” Ganondorf said through a smile, and Link tried to staunch the fear running through him. “I insist.”

The hand on his shoulder, with its inescapable grip, steered him towards the same side room Zelda led him towards, and the door behind slammed behind them.

There was a beat of silence before Link felt his back hit the wall, much like it had in Ganon and Zelda’s house that night.

“You’re just intent on ruining things, aren’t you?!” Ganon questioned, his face drawing close to Link’s. Ganon blew hot, stale breath into Link’s face while he spoke, but his hold prevented Link from fleeing. “First you try your best to break me away from Zelda, and now you’re meddling in my business—“

“Why do you think that’s my fault?”

“Because it can be no one else’s!” Ganondorf’s low voice was almost scarier than his shouting. “I know you have contact with Sidon, with Laflat, with Zelda and Sheik. There’re not too many people who are close to the people making the decision.”

“So, that—“ Link’s throat ached. He was rasping out each word, at this point, feeling movement burn his throat. The pain nearly made him sick, but he choked back his reactions to the pain he felt running up and down his throat.

“It’s not a coincidence. I knew I wasn’t going to get the Rito. I had nothing to offer them. The Gorons are too proud to accept the kind of services I was offering. The Zoras would benefit, they’re close to water. Yes, there would be a financial loss, but… there was no reason for Laflat to deny me.”

Link stared at him, waiting for a real explanation. Ganondorf was doing little to place him as a perpetrator.

“So tell me, Link. Laflat agrees with me, despite all of Sidon’s protests. But then… Sidon talks to you. Urbosa talks to you. Zelda talks to you. And then suddenly, Laflat hears Sidon’s protests? I’ve been in business for so long, Link, I will tell you that that doesn’t happen.”

Link shrugged, trying his best to remain casual despite the crushing fear he felt. “It happened.”

“It did. But… that’s because you spread some lies around. Was I right the first time, Link? That tongue only work when it’s got lies to tell?”

Link was silent.

Behind them, the door opened.

Sidon’s driver stepped in, quietly closing the door behind him. “Link,” he said quietly in acknowledgement, but made no move to free Link from his situation. “Mr. Ganondorf.”

“Muzu,” Ganondorf said, stepping back from Link and turning to the man. “Thank you for your cooperation.”

“I’m not a fan of staying with the losing team,” Muzu said in response, and their exchange reminded Link of two pretend villains.

“Of course not. I was just having a discussion with Link about the repercussions for sabotaging my business deal with the Zoras. The evidence?”

“Of course.” Muzu reached in his pocket and reproduced a notepad, flipping through the pages before stopping and backtracking. “I’ll have to apologize in advance, though. Link here doesn’t do much talking, aloud or signing.”

Muzu. The friendly driver who learned sign language just for Link. Or did he learn sing language so he could understand Link for Ganon’s sake? It looked like the latter.

“’You can be ‘together’ all you want, but that means nothing. Your union’s made of whatever cheap material he gets his suits made with,’” Muzu began reading, and Link’s eyes shot to him, wide with shock. Link and Zelda had been alone in a room together. Muzu was outside, waiting in the car. “This was Zelda speaking.”

How had he known that she said this?

“I have here, from Sidon, ‘I love you, and I would do anything for you.’ Spoken at Link’s residence. And I do have recordings. But of course the equipment would be less than subtle.”

Link felt a jolt travel through his body. They’d been… in Link’s home. Alone. Speaking quietly—how had Muzu or _anyone_ heard their private conversation. Link remembered these words, and Ganondorf knew that his knowledge of this would scare him more than anything. If they’d heard this… they’d heard everything. Every single interaction between Link and Sidon.

 _“’_ Laflat will agree with Ganon, and everyone else will be forced to agree if they want clean water’.” Muzu looked up to Ganon. “This was Zelda. And here… I have proof of her further confirming an improper relationship between Link and Sidon.” he flipped through a few more pages. “’I see what you have with Sidon, how he looks at you how you look at him and that’s what love is.’ _”_ Ganondorf nodded, clearly pleased with Muzu’s work.

“Of course, I have much more detailed accounts of their… activities. But I’m sure this will do for now.”

“Of course, Muzu, you are dismissed.” Ganondorf quickly turned his attention to Link, staring the shorter man down with every ounce of intimidation in his body. “You’ve turned my own wife against me—“

“She made that decision, Ganon.”

“I know she did. She’s not exempt from my scrutiny but you… you’re the one who acted. You’re the one who sabotaged my business because Zelda told you that I was going to _poison the water supply_. Did you even think about the implications of that?”

“You would do it.”

“Yes, and I would also willingly give my company over to Sidon because he asked nicely.”

Link blinked at Ganondorf, beginning to doubt himself. The way Ganon worded it… but no. Zelda and Urbosa both made it clear that Ganon would do what he could to achieve the outcome he wanted.

“Link, I will get what I want, and I will do whatever I need to do to get it.” There it is. “This is not a warning, or a threat, Link, but a promise. You might want to make use of your unique ability to _stay quiet_. Or I will hold true to that promise. I do have a plan of action.”

Ganondorf stepped even farther away from Link, backing to take hold of the handle on the door. “You work for me now, Link. You are at my beck and call.” While he left, he spoke quiet words that chilled Link’s every bone.

“My first _promise_ , to you dear Link, is to get rid of Sidon.”

~L~

Link… didn’t know what to think.

Some part of him, deep down inside, felt like he was working with Ganon by not saying anything… but between the fact that Muzu was constantly listening and Ganondorf’s threat… Link knew it was safest to say nothing.

“The man is insufferable!” Sidon exclaimed while they sat together in his office. Link stayed silent, nodding his agreement. “I can’t believe he would expect anyone to agree with that plan. Of course Urbosa was right, and of course Zelda figured him out.”

Ganon made it seem as if Link was given a choice, but he knew that he had no choice, not really. If he wanted Sidon dead, he would tell Sidon everything. That Muzu was Ganondorf’s rat, that Ganondorf would kill him, and possibly both of them, if Link didn’t manage to convince Sidon to reconsider a pact between the companies.

Weeks ago, Link was just moving to West Hyrule. He’d left his job, his home, his everything just to find himself caught up in a billionaire’s web… with no desire to escape it. He’d accepted the life of money, living as a commoner in a castle, spending his days tasting exotic foods and breathing the clean air of a life lived in comfort.

But he didn’t know what was behind the money, not until now.

There was no comfort. There was no castle. And while maybe Sidon was comfortable and content, his peace was the result of his ignorance. They’d both attended the conference with little knowledge of the bonds that already existed between people, the alliances that lurked beneath the surface.

Link supposed that if he tried to contact Zelda or Urbosa, he would be found out. Contacting Laflat wouldn’t draw as much attention, but it was still a gamble. Trying to contact Revali was out of the question.

“Link!?”

Link looked up at Sidon, surprised at the man’s yell. “Huh?”

“I’ve been calling you? Are you alright, love?”

 _“Fine,”_ Link signed quickly. _“Just thinking. I’m tired.”_

It was true that Link was exhausted, even after sleeping through most of the day. The ever looming weight of fear Ganon had instilled in him was almost enough to ensure that most of his sleeping moments were plagued with anxiety fueled nightmares.

What would Ganon do to them, if he told Sidon everything? And what did Ganon mean by “everything”? Could Link tell him of the time Ganon threw him against the wall for “ruining his marriage”, to clear up the lie he’d told about falling down the stairs?

Could Link tell Sidon about what Ganon had screamed in his face, the hurtful words he’d used on Link even before Link had made a true enemy of Ganon?

“Wow, you really must be tired,” Sidon said from beside him, his large hands suddenly framing Link’s face. “You’ve been in another world for the past few days.”

Link nodded and leaned into Sidon’s touch, closing his eyes to the sensation. It would distract him from the anxiety churning inside him, if only for a moment.

“You should sleep, Link,” Sidon whispered to him, pressing a light kiss to Link’s lips. “You can tell me about what ails you when you awake, if you so please.”

Link shook his head, standing up from his spot. The… conflict. He would eventually have to tell Sidon. Would writing work? Signing wouldn’t—Muzu understood him. Maybe if he left Sidon a message in code. Or… what if he sent Muzu on an errand? No… that would be suspicious—

“Link, please tell me what’s wrong?”

Sidon’s voice startled him again, breaking him out of his ever drifting thoughts. He waved Sidon away distractedly.

_“I’m fine.”_

“Link, something is obviously ailing you. Please, if I can do anything for you let me know,” Sidon was standing beside him, occupying most of the small space. “Please, Link—“

With the knock on the door, Link started again, no doubt worrying Sidon more than he already was. They both turned to see Muzu poke his head in the door, smiling in a way that made Link’s stomach turn.

“Master Link,” Muzu said in the same tone he’d used to address Ganondorf, “I’d like to have a word with you, if you don’t mind.”

Link nodded and moved towards the door, feeling rather than seeing Sidon moving to leave with him.

“Master Sidon, I’d like to speak to Master Link in private—“

“Muzu, Link isn’t feeling well—“

“Well, he can tell me that himself. In private.” Sidon’s features twisted into something unreadable while Link stepped to go with Muzu.

 _“Sidon, it’s fine,”_ Link told him. Muzu smiled again, and Link followed him down a long winding hallway, their steps echoing silently in the house before Muzu turned to face him.

“Ganondorf would like to speak with you again at his residence. He believes that he’s found a way to get Laflat to reconsider.”

 _“What does that have to do with me?”_ Link felt like he’d asked that question a lot lately. If Ganondorf could get what he wanted, it had nothing to do with him.

“He’d like to remind you that if he, or I for that matter, has any suspicions that you are interfering, whether through Zelda or Sidon, he will hold true to his promise. I believe you remember what that means.”

“And what _does_ that mean?” Sidon’s voice said from behind them, startling them both.

“Master Sidon—“

“What business does Ganondorf have with you and Link?”

Muzu stared at Link for a long moment before turning to Sidon, gears obviously turning in his head. “Ganondorf and Link reached a mutual understanding at the summit. These matters are Link’s personal business—“

“Is that true, Link?”

They both stared at him, two people waiting for two different answers. But there was no doubt in his mind to how he would answer. One answer would endanger Sidon’s life, the other answer would just irritate him.

 _“Yes,”_ Link signed quickly, not looking either of them in the eye. _“We… reached an agreement.”_

“Is this what’s been worrying you, Link?” Sidon’s voice was quiet, gentle. Giving him a way out.

 _“No. I’ve just been feeling sick.”_ Link could sense Muzu’s satisfaction with Link’s answer. _“One thing has nothing to do with the other.”_

“We’re going to speak in private,” Sidon said finally. “Muzu you’re dismissed.”

“Master Sidon—“

“You’re dismissed!” There was a beat of silence before Muzu turned quickly, bowing his head before rushing away. “What did Ganon say to you?”

Link shook his head urgently at Sidon. _“Nothing.”_

“Link, you can tell me—“

“I can’t!” They stared for a moment, neither saying anything. “We just made an agreement.”

Sidon leaned forward, taking Link’s hands in his own. Link mentally kicked himself for being so transparent. Everything he was feeling was probably written clear across his face.

Everything was written.

Writing would work. He knew that there was no way Muzu would be able to see him writing, especially if they were somewhere where Muzu had never been.

Sidon’s bedroom.

Link grabbed Sidon’s hand, quickly leading him across the house towards the bedroom, steering him deftly along the long hallways until they ended in Sidon’s room. Link then circled around the room, closing every door and pulling every curtain until there was no way to see in the room.

“Link, what—“

Link held up a finger before turning to frantically dig through the dressers, celebrating when he produced a piece of paper and a bizarrely fancy pen…

Link signaled Sidon over quickly, glancing towards all of the doors. Muzu could be anywhere… he had to get rid of any suspicion.

Link leveled Sidon with A Look. Sidon stared back.

With one last glance around the room, Link opened his mouth wide… and moaned the loudest, fakest moan he’d ever moaned. He kept going while he scribbled quickly on the paper, trying his best to be both quick and detailed about his interaction with Ganon.

“Link what the hell.”

Without pausing in any of his actions, Link looked up at Sidon again, glaring as hard as he possibly could. He waved his free hand wildly at Sidon in a gesture he hoped meant “come on!” and kept writing, glancing at Sidon as he did so.

Sidon kept staring.

“Sidon I need you to play along, _please_ ,” Link whispered lowly while he wrote. He quickly read over his own writing before writing, _Muzu is probably spying on us._

Sidon’s eyes scanned over Link’s chicken scratch writing, going back over it again… and again… “Link, I can’t read this.”

“Shhhhh!!”

Link snatched the paper back with another extremely exaggerated moan, and Sidon… slowly caught on. His eyes widened in slight understanding, and Link nodded along, rewriting what he’d already written in slightly neater handwriting.

Link handed it off to Sidon… who scanned over it again before shaking his head and handing it back with an apologetic look.

“At least try!” Link whispered before rewriting what he’d written for a third time, thrusting it back into Sidon’s hands.

Sidon read it quickly while Link watched him anxiously… until Sidon sat the notepad down slowly, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

“Alright…” He said quietly. “Okay, I see. I’ll be right back.” Sidon walked towards one of his side rooms, where the telephone was, turning on both of the floor fans while he went, and closed the door quietly behind him with a click. His voice was low, almost inaudible below the drone of the fans.

Why hadn’t he thought of that?

Sidon emerged a few moments later, closing the doors again and leaving the fans running. 

Link stared at him expectantly.

“Well… first things first…” He stood up from his spot on the bed and walked a slow lap around the room, glancing around like Link had when they entered. He stopped, suddenly, and stalked towards the door.

“Muzu!” He shouted down the hall, ignoring the way Link ran behind him, trying to stop him. “I’ll need you to run me an errand!”

“Sidon! What’re you doing?” Link hissed, but Muzu rounded the corner, having arrived alarmingly fast.

“Link and I were looking to go on a late night drive, but I know that my yellow car…”

“Is in the shop,” Muzu finished for him. “The mechanic did tell me that your car is ready. You’d like me to retrieve it?”

Link... just stared at Sidon. Making Muzu leave the house wouldn’t prevent anything from happening. If anything it would make it easier for Muzu to tell Ganondorf that something was up.

Link felt history repeat itself while Muzu took a long look between Link and Sidon, his eyes hovering on Link… Link supposed that they’d probably both looked suspiciously well composed despite the sounds they’d been making.

Sidon dismissed Muzu, and they waited until they were sure he’d left the house before daring to speak.

“Ganondorf’s going to find out I told you,” Link said to Sidon’s back. When Sidon turned around, Link raised his hands to elaborate. _“Muzu had access to conversations that I thought were secret. He knew everything Zelda’s ever said to me. He probably knows everything you’ve ever said to me.”_

“But what would Ganondorf gain from that?”

_“He’s known from the beginning that you would involve yourself in your family’s business. I guess he didn’t know that I was going to mess everything up.”_

With one glance up at Sidon’s face, Link felt regret flow strong in his veins. He didn’t need to tell Sidon, but since he’d let his judgment slip him, since he’d let his worries consume him Sidon’s life was in danger.

And if Ganon came to kill Sidon, it would be his own fault.

“Link, I’m not going to let him do anything to you,” Sidon said. “Whatever he threatened you with—“

“Sidon he threatened to kill you!”

Sidon was silent once again. “He… what?”

Link shook his head violently. “He told me that if I made you aware of the situation, or if I told Laflat or Urbosa or anyone, he would get rid of you. That if he needed me at any time to help him, I would need to help him. Or that he would—“ Link’s throat seized then, with overuse and emotion.

“Link, look at me,” Sidon whispered, bringing both hands to rest on either side of Link’s face. “I am not going to let Ganon hurt you, and I am definitely not going to let Ganon kill me. I sent Muzu on a nonexistent errand—I’ve already had someone retrieve my car from the mechanic. I’ve already made a phone call to the mechanic to hold Muzu up, all of my staff are on guard for whatever may come.”

 _“Okay,”_ Link told him, leaning in for a quick kiss before dropping back down on his heels. _“I trust you.”_

“I love you, dear Link,” Sidon whispered. “I won’t let any harm come to either of us.”

Link was far from reassured… but he wouldn’t say that. He had no choice but to believe the situation was handled. He would believe in Sidon, and he would try his best to let his worries sink away.

~G~

Link, like the madman he felt himself slowly becoming, sprinted through the halls of Sidon’s mansion.

He’d awoke after sinking into an exhausted slumber, curling around Sidon while they lounged in the living room, waiting for any sign of Ganondorf. When, after hours passed, all was quiet, Link felt his eyes slip closed to the sensation of Sidon’s hands in his hair and Sidon’s lips on his ear, whispering quiet reassurances.

He’d awoken to screaming, rolling off the sofa to the sound of bustling servants and shouted commands. “Someone’s broken in,” he heard, and he ran towards the center of the commotion. “Where is he?!” He could hear Rivan yell over the din. Another voice told him that it heard a commotion near the pool.

That was all the information he’d needed.

 Never before had he thought about just how big the house really was, not even when he’d appraised the sheer volume of people who’d partied comfortable within it, not even when he’d walked alone in its vast depths for the first time.

It seemed like no matter how fast he ran his feet carried him no closer towards the back of the house, where he knew Ganondorf and Sidon were.

Link knew that Muzu had left to notify Ganondorf, and guilt plunged through Link like the water falling from the pillars in Zora’s Domain. Despite all of Sidon’s reassurances, Link knew that this would happen. It had barely been an hour, and he’d made the mistake of falling asleep, of letting Sidon leave the house… and of enabling Ganondorf to enter.

His bare feet slid on the slick floor while he rounded corners, shouting hoarse and inaudible cries of… warning? Pleas? His seldom used voice had finally reached its limit. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much pain he fought through, no sounds came from him.

After what felt like hours, Link finally burst through the last door of the house, Sidon’s staff hot on his trail while he stopped…

Ganondorf had a gun.

Zelda and Sidon stood across from them, all three on the same side of the pool, while Ganon aimed the gun at Sidon with an unwavering hand.

Link watched as Ganon’s calm eyes slid to him. “I have enough bullets for all of you,” he said quietly, though his voice carried easily in the still air. “One, two, three. I know you don’t have your staff carry weapons. Very unwise.”

Zelda took a wavering step forward, and Sidon watched her move with calculating eyes. “Ganon—“

“Silence! You worked with him. Against me, Zelda, I know you did. You, Sidon, Link, all of you belong in the same hole.”

Link felt himself trying to walk forward, his bare foot trebling as he lifted it from the hot pavement when Ganon leveled the weapon at him, aim and gaze unwavering.

“Ganon, no!” Sidon and Zelda both called, and Link froze in his spot, blue eyes wide… but he felt very little fear. He put his foot back on the pavement. And took another step. His hatred for Ganon outweighed every ounce of fear that was in his blood. Link was _furious._

Another step.

“Link—“

“Let him come here. Let him stare the consequences of his actions in the eye.” Ganon’s voice was coldly amused, but Link felt even colder.

He approached until the barrel of the gun was pressed flush to his forehead. And then he swung, wrapping his arm around Ganon’s heavy arm until it bent towards the ground and using the momentum to swing his legs to meet the man’s side.

Ganon dropped the gun, and in a flurry of motion Sidon surged forward, grabbing the large man in a hold while Zelda ran to Link, green eyes wide with shock.

“Link, are you alright?”

Link nodded, backing away while Ganon and Sidon struggled… and he felt his bare foot slide on the ground before he tilted backwards and into the pool.

He fell silently, but he knew that they’d all seen, and in Sidon’s momentary distraction Ganondorf lunged for the gun at the edge of the pool, throwing Zelda out of the way to grab it. Link grappled his way out of the water, scrambling to move before Ganon smashed him into the concrete while Sidon tackled him to the ground.

And then… Ganon had the gun.

Link felt useless in that moment, stumbling back into Zelda while Ganondorf spun towards Sidon and watching the many emotions cross Sidon’s face while Ganon took aim.

Zelda screamed.

Her hands grabbed tight on Link’s arm while she did it, her shrill voice ringing in the air beside Link’s ear. Link felt fear replace the anger in his veins. Terror gripped him in a vice, moving faster than the bullets fired free from the gun while Sidon lurched forward, throwing himself _towards the gun—_

Like a vortex, all the words he tried to speak found themselves sucked back into his chest, locking away faster than he could breathe his hatred or break from the suffocating hold of fear, faster than he could—

The silence carried itself through the halls, along the perfect white marble floor and up and around each staircase, curling through the empty kitchen and sailing clean across the foyer. The rosebushes around the entrance swayed in its wake as it flowed down the driveway and back around, through the forests around the house, winding up the house to breathe its breath on each window. The silence carried to knock at the door of Link’s quiet house, peeking inside to see the still insides.

And the silence was with them all as they stood around the pool, three gunshots still hissing deep in Link’s ears.

 When the water came up to meet his face, displaced by two falling bodies, Link realized… that there was no silence at all.

Zelda shrieked, jostling Link while he stood in shock, watching the events unfold with a dull, vague understanding.

Ganon shot Sidon.

The water hit Link’s face, and he barely felt it while he lurched forward, throat raw from overuse, trying to see who was who in the red pool. Red water, red hair, flowing and tangled throughout, one face up, one face down.

Before Link could blink the water from his eyes he was diving in, splashing his way through rose colored water of Sidon’s endless pool.

 Sidon was floating on his back, hair spread out in the water like he’d been sunbathing on a quiet morning. His eyes were closed against the sun shining down on the scene. The blood in the water around him seemed almost like it was coming from his fiery hair, like the color was leaving him to diffuse into the water.

Ganondorf was lying on his stomach, eyes staring wide at the gun sunk down to the bottom of the pool, fingers still curled like they were reaching to retrieve what they once held. He drifted when Link passed, his eyes did not flutter from the coppery water around them.

Sidon’s staff bustled around in their blue suits, scrambling over each other to move Zelda or to get some blankets or to—

Link wanted nothing more than to scream at the aimless staff, and they stared at him before jumping into action, three people rushing for the phone and briefly fighting for it before making the call. Link’s eyes scanned Sidon’s still face, holding his head from the water as he tried to get the giant man to the side of the pool. After a few moments of thought, Link returned for Ganon, facing a similar struggle in moving his massive body to the side of the pool.

His lips formed Sidon’s name silently, trying desperately to get his eyes to focus on _something._

The staff’s robin’s egg blue suits were stained just like the water and just like Link’s clothes as they tried to assess the damage, hovering around Sidon and Ganon worriedly.

Link knew… that Ganon was dead. His eyes hadn’t fluttered once while they moved him, and when the staff removed his shirt, Link could see the washed clean bullet hole right above his left pectoral.

Sidon was… breathing. Each breath seemed labored and shallow, but he was breathing and his eyelashes were fluttering while the staff tried to tear his shirt from his body to see where he was wounded.

While Link knelt beside Sidon, trying desperately to get him to do something, say _something,_ Zelda was an inconsolable mess, pulling at Ganondorf as if she could pull him from his body and bring him back to her.

Sidon’s eyes shot open, his mouth working while he coughed… but when he coughed, blood replaced the air. His hands feebly shook while they reached for Link, but the blond hushed him, trying his best to calm Sidon and his own decimated nerves.

Sidon coughed again. More blood on Link’s shirt, more blood on the slick ground.

Zelda was suddenly at his side, her green eyes foggy but focused. Her face was shiny with tears but she took both of her hands and pressed them into Sidon’s bleeding side, applying pressure.

“Link, get me some towels. We need to stop this bleeding.” Her voice was flat while she spoke, but Link ran and returned quickly with a stack of towels from the poolside. Zelda took two and pressed them into Sidon’s side, apologizing while she did so.

Her apologies didn’t end when Sidon’s eyes fluttered shut, nor when the ambulance arrived to take away Sidon and Ganon away.

Her apologies didn’t end when she and Link drove to the hospital to see the only survivor of the two injured.

And Link let the fear consume him.

~X~

Sidon opened his eyes three days later to the silence of his hospital room and the distinct sound of a page turning in a book, the paper settling with a quiet scrape. The monitors beside him wormed their way into his consciousness and he pushed them out again, his eyes fluttering open to take in his surroundings.

The room was yellow with sunlight streaming through the soft curtains, and below the sterile hospital scent, Sidon thought he smelled roses.

But above all of his other senses, Sidon saw Link sitting unscathed and perfect in a chair beside him, blue eyes scanning the contents of a book with such fierce concentration, Sidon felt bad for interrupting.

So he didn’t.

He watched Link brush some hair behind his ear in the delicate sunlight, the relief of seeing Link safe stronger than any painkiller the hospital could provide.

And then he coughed.

Link looked up in such frantic concern that it nearly broke Sidon’s heart. He would do anything to ensure that such fear never crossed Link’s features again. He would do anything to make sure Link would never have to experience something like that ever again.

“Sidon,” Link whispered in the soft sunlight, his hair a golden halo around his head. Had it gotten longer? Or was it just out of its tie? It was definitely longer. “I’m sorry.”

No… Link couldn’t be apologizing to him! There was no way! Link had nothing to apologize for!

But when Sidon tried to voice his thoughts, his throat rebelled and he coughed again, spurring Link into another bout of worried fussing.

Just as Link reached to press the call button, Sidon caught his wrist, bringing Link’s hand down to his face. Sidon’s mind was foggy, he didn’t have much of a grasp on anything yet, but he knew that he was alive, Link was alive… and that everything would be alright.

And he knew that he was wearing a positively dopey expression on his face.

“I love you, Link,” he managed to rasp out, the weight of the world held away by the vibrant smile Link gifted him in response.

“I love you too, Sidon,” Link said in his low, beautiful voice. “Welcome back to me.”

~The End~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished something!!! But....
> 
> This story’s not over. It’s in an open series, and I’m thinking hard about what to do about continuing some of the ideas I got into with this chapter, especially since I sat here and went through the trouble of introducing so many characters. Buttttt
> 
> Thank you all for reading! And commenting! And everything! Writing this was extremely fun, but it was even more fun to read your feedback. I can’t thank you all enough, and I hope to see some of you guys around for Hush! Thanks so much for reading! I love you all!
> 
> Once again! [TUMBLR](https://kydesert.tumblr.com/)
> 
> -KyDesert

**Author's Note:**

> I made a [tumblr](https://kydesert.tumblr.com/) !! It's just a baby, it's empty, but if you wanna talk about nonsense or ask me questions or read short little posts that are too tiny for even ao3, feel free to drop by! (Feel free to harass me when I'm taking too long to update)


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